


Delicate

by D_Marx



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: 1xR - Freeform, Action, F/M, Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy, make it rain justice, then unplanned Unpregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-03
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 23:33:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2247519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D_Marx/pseuds/D_Marx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Baby…” she gasped as one of her hands rested on his over her abdomen. “Save baby…”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> To show a sensitive side to Heero. Please note this is unbeta'd from like 2002 in the beginning, but I love the story enough that I continued it this year. :)

The hospital walls were white; glowing brightly against Relena's flushed face. Her eyes were dull but sane and she recalled the events of the night before for what seemed like the hundredth time. She stared at a single rose next to her on the bed stand next to her hand. She knew who it was from and merely stared at it. There was a note tied to it with a ribbon she hadn't read yet. She wasn't really in a hospital because it was Heero who had saved her. The Gundam Pilots had all helped but she knew it was Heero who set everything up. She wasn't told where they were going earlier before they gave her the relaxant drug but she trusted him more than any one person could trust another.

Her family, consisting of Milliardo and his wife, Lucrezia, had found out that she was with child-keyword being 'was'-and now she was alone. They, meaning Milliardo and Lucrezia, had no idea whose baby it had been, but she knew there was only one candidate. A few weeks ago she had been visited by Heero while staying at one of the hotels where she had been conferencing at; he had accompanied her to the meeting and had stayed the night with her.

She had convinced him that her room was too large and too unused for her to remain alone there, so she offered him board for the night. One thing led to another and they were finally at some sort of peace with one another. No one knew about it but some were confused at her rather...chipper mood for the next few days; it was their secret. It became her secret when she found out she was pregnant. No one knew-period. She could remember what she felt when she took the home test and tested positive; she had taken two more just in case she was wrong. All results were positive, and for once, she didn't know what to do.

She had been at her home that she shared with her brother and sister-in-law, reading a book while lounging in a comfortable chair. There were things on her mind and she didn't bother to notice that she was being watched. The sun had set about three hours ago and she had convinced Milliardo and Lucrezia to go out for at least dinner. Relena hadn't noticed the figure approach her from behind until his shadow had fallen on her book page. Her eyes widened and before she could even gasp he had thrown his arm around her neck tightly and pulling her quickly to her feet and turning her to face the foyer.

Milliardo burst through the door and Relena felt the man holding her put a dagger at her abdomen. Her brother raised his revolver, prepared to fire, but the attacker put pressure on the blade, making her gasp and Milliardo hesitate. "Don't move or the little one dies." Milliardo hesitated further and the man smirked before following through with a deep, single slice. Relena cried out; the man released her, and she fell down onto her back, clenching her stomach and eyes shut. Her wound went deep and she cried out silently to no one in general, trying to force her pain away. She heard a gunshot and tears crowded her vision. She saw Milliardo at her side, speaking to her though she couldn't hear him. He had removed his coat and begun pressing it into her wound.

Milliardo looked down at his sister as Lucrezia dropped her smoking revolver and reached the phone. She made the emergency call and Relena was talking incoherently as she looked at her brother. Three muttered words made it past her lips to Milliardo's ears, and he waited impatiently for her. "Baby..." she gasped as one of her hands rested on his over her abdomen. "Save baby..." And with that, she fainted. Milliardo exchanged confused glances with his wife.

"Baby?" he said. Lucrezia heard sirens from a distance.

"She's pregnant?" The shock was apparent on her face. He looked down at his sister's face and reached up to brush a few strands of hair from her face. "How did they know? We didn't even know..." They heard sirens outside the manor and within seconds two men hauling a gurney burst through the door.

"Over here!" Both of the men wore gray uniforms and their faces were shielded by hats that sent a shadow over the majority of their faces. One of them had disheveled brown hair and the other having a rather overstuffed hat. "Someone stabbed her. We don't recognize him." They rushed over to Relena's limp form in which one of them knelt down next to her and checked her pulse and condition. The one with the overstuffed hat looked at the dead man with his face turned away from Milliardo and Lucrezia, and lifted his eyes to identify the man better; two deep blue eyes peered out from under the rim, a familiar air about the grim seriousness he wielded. The two medics lifted her onto the gurney and began to stroll her out of the manor. Milliardo started to follow when he heard Relena mumble something barely audible as she started to cling to one of the hands by her shoulder.

"Heero..." A pause. The man with the stuffed hat looked back at the two, and was recognized while the other paramedic promptly lifted Relena into his arms; he immediately ran out the door of the manor. The other followed closely.

"Duo, what are you doing!" yelled Lucrezia. Neither answered as they bolted towards the ambulance.

"Yuy!" Milliardo was in such a rage that Lucrezia had to hold him back from charging the more and likely stolen ambulance.

The ambulance door shut and Relena was fighting to regain consciousness. "C'mon, Ojousan, stay with us. Heero, she's got a deep cut." Heero had removed Milliardo's coat and began tending to the bleeding wound. Relena's eyes opened slightly as she felt the presence again, and felt Heero apply pressure to a towel on her abdomen; she took a gasping breath in and her hands went to his. His eyes met hers and she tried to say something but the sound never reached her lips; he read her lips in compensation, and hesitated for a long while, which, after awhile, began to make Duo nervous. "What's wrong, Heero?" Duo hadn't been looking at Relena. Heero snapped out of it and shook his head to clear his mind.

"Nothing." Relena looked up at the ambulance light, dazed and hurt. Heero's hand held hers, encouraging her to squeeze it to relieve the tension. She was hurt, and she felt pain, but she didn't clutch onto his hand but for a brief moment. When she was around him she felt calm, and knew he would take care of her. The sting in her stomach was not as painful as she imagined, but it was enough to make her want to cry. Instead, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. Heero smiled slightly at her effort to stay strong despite the obvious pain. She would be okay if they stayed together.

"Yo, Trowa, how's everything up there?" Silence. "That good?" Silence again. Heero just stared into Relena's serene gaze and Duo felt a spreading warmth coming from inside him. Even when injured, she managed to remain serene and sedate. Relena breathed in suddenly and they saw her stomach pulse from the shot nerves within. Duo removed the cloth from Relena's wound and reached for another. A small gush of blood seeped out of her abdomen and a clear liquid began to come out. "Damn, it's deep. Can you fix it, Heero."

Duo sounded urgent as Heero turned and grabbed the sterilizing kit. If Trowa didn't get them to headquarters soon they may lose either more blood or her. He pulled on the sterile gloves and grabbed the syringe and the morphine. The van lurched to the right and Relena was pulled to Heero's side. He stopped her from falling onto the floor and glared hard in Trowa's direction. "Trowa, don't drive like a maniac, we've got needles and stuff back here!"

Heero looked oddly at Duo as though he had a broken nose-caused by a door no less. They were capable of setting their own limbs, leaping fearlessly from fifty-story drops, taking a bullet without flinching, and being tossed around and blown up inside a forty-nine foot tall machines which they willingly got into. Why did Duo worry about 'needles and stuff' when there were worse things to consider. Probably for Relena's sake. The last thing she needed was the shock of being prematurely injected with something she wasn't prepared for. He cared for Relena more than anything he was aware of, and seeing her hurt like this...it was unimaginable. As he tapped the needle, sudden realization hit him. Relena was carrying a baby. Yes, he thought, she was carrying a baby. Past tense...

"How is it?" said Trowa. Heero had to look away to talk, confusion setting into his mind. The needle lowered into the tin which was on the table behind him.

"She's calming down and the bleeding is slowly getting worse. She was sliced across the abdomen but she can be saved. We have to hurry." The ambulance made a calm lurch forward as Trowa accelerated.

"However, while the attacker had every intention apparently of killing her, he didn't, which means he had a different priority," said Trowa.

"Why would he not feel motivated to kill her when he had the opportunity?"

"Because it is possible he was targeting something in particular?"

"Who else is Relena capable of hiding unless..." There was a pregnant pause-no pun intended-and silence followed.

"A child." said Trowa. Duo looked over at Heero suspiciously, then to the needle. The man's silence was upsetting. After a moment, Heero cleaned off Relena's arm with a sanitizing swab and then raised the needle.

"They succeeded," said Heero submissively, injecting the morphine into her bloodstream. Relena felt the prick and knew she lost the baby. Heero wouldn't have done it if it weren't true. Her eyes met with his and she felt the loss hit her. The pain in her stomach began to hurt again and she twisted her face from sadness. She was so content and happy being with child and a moment's respite it was torn from her comforting hands and killed by someone whom she didn't know. A complete stranger wanted to destroy her. She should be used to this but she wasn't ready to sacrifice something so innocent as an unborn child...

"What now?" Relena began breathing heavily and she whimpered as she began to convulse in minor waves. Tears escaped her eyes as anguish enveloped her. Suddenly the pain from her wound didn't matter anymore, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the morphine or if she just didn't care. A kind of warmth spread through her and she felt her body; this was the medication. Heero was glad she was calming down, worried that she would stare at him like she just did. Her eyes were now soft and glazed over, and Relena blinked slowly, as if she were ready to sleep. Her eyes closed again, even slower this time, and Duo grabbed her hand and Heero turned away for a moment. "Ojousan, stay awake for us." Her eyes opened slowly, showing her glazed expression. Heero turned back to Relena with a second syringe in hand. He was going to let her sleep because he knew he wouldn't be able to sew her up if he continued to see her eyes like that. "Hold on, Heero! I just told her to stay awake!"

"We can tend to her wounds better if she isn't awake. Relax, Relena..." He raised his free hand to hold hers once again, and she held it lightly in return. She shut her eyes calmly and breathed in tensely. He admired her for being strong enough to handle this. Heero let go of Relena's hand and tapped the syringe. Duo grabbed his wrist forcefully to get his attention.

"I really don't think that's a good idea!" The ambulance gave a sudden lurch, and Heero jerked his hand back. "We need her conscious in this unstable position."

"She'll be okay, Duo. This is a simple procedure which both of us are able to perform. It's a newly tested and approved medicine that hurries the healing process. It will make the wound manageable enough to add the stitches. Trust me." Duo then sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"Fine." The braided pilot sterilized her arm again and Heero sighed silently, injecting Relena with the morphine and watching her strength leave her. She wasn't going to fight him on this.

Relena felt her eyes grow heavy, and let the darkness overcome her.


	2. Chapter 2

Last night had changed everything. She felt so dead inside, and her stomach churned groggily when she thought of anything. Tears clouded her eyes as she remembered how she had felt to be with child, and how it was torn from her in so little time. No one had known. Someone had watched her, it had to be that. A stranger, someone who was out to hurt her and the one she had protected inside her womb for mere weeks, had entered her home and hurt her. And she did nothing but bleed for him. Instead of protecting herself and her baby, she let someone take it away without fighting, without a struggle. If she hadn't been so full of her thoughts it would've been obvious that there was someone in that room with her.

What hurt her most was the fact that she hadn't told anyone, yet she was so happy to be with child, mind the morning sickness. She had fallen into a kind of maternal trance when by herself. She admired posters with mothers and children on them, gazed at photos of baby furniture when no one was watching—supposed to be, she corrected herself silently. She was content, all too comfortable, with the change.

Her hand went to her bandaged stomach, feeling a throbbing sensation as she applied a little pressure to it. She felt the stitches through the material and with each stroke she made gave her a small itch of pain. Her baby, gone. Killed by some stranger. She didn't need a doctor to know the truth, nor did she need someone to tell her the other bad news she was waiting for. That she couldn't bear a child ever again. She knew it was coming, anticipated the bitter words as they thought them. She knew it was what they were going to say, Heero or Duo or even some stranger for a doctor. Why hadn't anyone come to see her to deliver the horrible news to her yet? She knew they were out there, biding their time. The baby was gone, and she would never be able to have the same comfort, the same warmth that came with nurturing touches and constant realization that there was a little someone resting inside of her womb, waiting and anticipating the real world she knew she—and perhaps Heero as well—could provide.

The pain was getting too hard to bear.

She realized she was still staring at the pink rose, and brought her hand up from her stomach to open, and then read, the note for what seemed like the fifteenth time. The petals were soft from underneath her fingertips, like fine silk, and she picked it up to rest it by her face, then read the note again. Relena, I love you and I'm sorry. HY.

He still loves me, her mind mused. Like she could forget those words leaving his lips before that night. It mattered not when he uttered them or if he ever would again. Those words had never left her since they were addressed to her. Her heart lightened at the thought of his declaration to her. He still loves me.

The baby was his. There were no others it could have been. First it had been simple: She invited him to stay with her in that large, too large for one person, suite on L3; he hadn't said a word, but didn't move otherwise; she kissed him gently, he kissed back; she led him into her room, he followed; sweet surrender, they made love most of the night. It had been the most intense event of her entire life. And nothing ruined her mood for the next four weeks.

Heero had avoided the confrontational situation, and was assigned elsewhere for a couple of weeks on a private matter by Une. It was her understanding that he hadn't asked for it, but they thought it best to leave it between them. No one knew her secret, though. She needed to be sure, wanted to sort her feelings out about it. When she was planning on telling him was another thing. Noin never asked questions, though Relena knew she had been close to, and would've wanted nothing more than to splay her thoughts out over the table for her sister. Milliardo never made the connection, and Relena was sure that had been Noin's doing. No one ever suspected.

Now everything was different, and she hadn't even seen a single person to tell her the truth. Did no one want to see her in this state? It did hurt to move, but she was not dead, and even though she felt dead inside. She had wanted this baby, his baby. Knowing that Heero had a part in this made her feel so much better. She was sure he had his doubts about everything that had happened, and she had wanted to tell him so much. Her heart ached to tell him everything that had happened. The past four weeks had been bliss, but something was keeping her from telling him. Perhaps the looks of contentment they had shared had something to do with it. All she knew was that she wanted to speak with him now, not then.

What if he didn't believe her? Could she convince him that there had been no one else, that there could never be anyone else? Could he learn to love her, knowing that she didn't fight to save herself? The thought of his cold eyes at this time, staring through her hatefully, made the tears fall harder. When had she started to cry?

The white room was cold and unforgiving, which suited her reflections. There came a sound from across the room, and Relena jumped, hurrying to wipe her tears away. "Relena, I'm coming in." It was Heero. Her heart raced inside her ribcage and she tried to pinpoint the emotion she was feeling. Before she had the time she had taken advantage of earlier to figure this out, it was gone when the door opened, revealing a very calm-looking Heero Yuy. When he shut the door behind him, she knew he was being a bit too calm for her own benefit. "How are you feeling?" Relena blinked very slightly and was thankful for the subtleness in his voice. But she knew she couldn't run from the nagging feeling in her gut.

"I don't know. Better than I was. Who did the surgery?" Heero seemed a little perturbed by her change of the subject, but decided to let it go. He walked toward her and sat down on the hospital bed, resting across from her with an air of tension.

"I started it, Sally finished it. We were lucky you made it to the emergency room." Her hand wanted to reach out for his, but she knew his actions were reluctant. He wanted answers, and right now she needed to provide them, but her words needed to be thought out more carefully. "I was...worried." Okay, she thought. That was forced. If he was thinking about the baby or not, she needed to get it out into the open before they cracked.

"The baby was yours. If you ever had any doubts, please lay them to rest now." Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but they had sunk in. His eyes seemed to soften in understanding and realization as she got the green light to come closer to him. A smile graced her lips as her hand touched his. "As if I could keep from thinking about you with a piece of you inside of me." Her eyes began to redden as her thoughts got the better of her. She made a promise to cry later in order to stop the tears, and her hopes were fulfilled. "Sorry, I'm a little emotional right now. I was hoping no one would find out like this. I was," she tried to arrange her body so she could move to sit up, but Heero's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Don't move or you'll stretch the stitches." He paused and waited for her to lie back again. She complied reluctantly. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" His hand came up to brush a stray hair to the side of her forehead. He hadn't slept for awhile—since he had intercepted the emergency call the night before. And here he was at three in the afternoon when she finally woke up. Duo hadn't tried to drill him for questions as he thought would happen. Apparently the thought of the physical state Relena was in made Duo reassert himself. Being in love himself he knew what he should and should not pry about. He should've noticed the signs first. The soda crackers, the sickness she claimed was just nerves but he ignored only because he trusted her judgment; they were all a façade he hadn't seen through, and he regretted the action.

"I was afraid of the reaction. You, Milliardo, Lucrezia, I didn't want to keep anyone out. I was..." She dug in deep for the words to describe the feeling, but only found one. "...Scared. I was afraid of the reactions I would get. What if you hadn't wanted the baby or didn't want me because I would tie you down. If Milliardo had found out, he would've tried to kill you I just know, and-" She stopped when Heero's finger touched her lips gently.

"You were afraid I wouldn't love you anymore because you were pregnant?" She was unable to speak. She was afraid he would hate her. She feared his reaction, not anyone else's; that is why she never told him. Why was it clear now and not earlier? He was so close now, his eyes mere inches from hers, and she saw his lips out of the corner of her eye. She was afraid he would become cold to her.

But his eyes were soft. They weren't hateful as she had feared and it was at that point she understood that he was sad because she didn't trust him enough to tell him. Saying nothing was the better choice at this point. He wanted to say something, but was holding back. Why wasn't he saying anything? Was he afraid as well? Did she betray his trust beyond repair? Just the thought of him stepping away from her made her sick to her stomach. "You should've told me, Relena. Telling me should've been your first priority. You let me believe nothing was wrong and I could've been there to protect you." She craved his warmth as his finger came to rest beside her.

"I didn't want to burden you with a life-changing choice. I know you understand this. " Heero sighed. She wouldn't make excuses for him. The truth fell out of her mouth like a second nature; she couldn't lie to him. He deserved the truth from her because she wanted the same in return. It was out in the open now and she craved the pressure to tell the truth; it made her feel honest again. All of the pressure was releasing itself in the only way she knew how, and she was finally seeing clearly. He knew this, too.

He knew she loved to hear the truth, no matter how hurtful or beautiful, because she hated lies. She had lived for so long under the blanket of dishonesty that it had become her umbilicus. There were times, granted, when she wanted to hear the general story and nothing else, and she wouldn't mind a few lies to cover a small story which needed no explanations. So he sighed, and caressed her cheek. He had been worried that the pain would go away, but it wouldn't last forever. She knew what she had done. A few years ago he would've left her in the dark and walked away, but now he knew that would do more damage than necessary.

"Nevertheless you wouldn't have been in that danger if it hadn't been for me."

"...And the guilt trip was another thing that occurred to me. It wasn't something I anticipated, the attack. How did they know, though? No one, not even you knew." The door opened, as if on cue. In walked a dead man, someone who wasn't supposed to live through the Eve Wars. How he ended up entering her room was beyond her, and her voice almost left her.

Doctor J.

"I can answer that one. No use letting Heero have the sole responsibility of telling you the news." Her eye twitched involuntarily, but she remained silent, wary, as the man before her began his explanation. Did it matter how he got here or matter how Heero had come to contact him in a situation like this? Maybe it would later. In the meantime, she let him just be. "First, I must deliver the news concerning your status." Relena stared blankly at the man, waiting for the inevitable news she had been dreading since she had thought of it. Her hand was empty; Heero wasn't used to public displays of affection. She understood, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurt. "The offspring did not survive the attack. As for how they found out, well...did you take any pregnancy tests?"

"I took three."

"There you go-"

"There is no way anybody could have known. I determined the results at work. New trash compactors, remember?" Relena looked at Heero and after a moment, her eyes widened. She brought her hand up to cover her eyes as her face suddenly flushed red. Heero realized what she was thinking and a small blush reached his cheeks. Doctor J seemed surprised at the thought at first, but he smiled rather widely.

"Well, that should tell us how they base their conclusions unless it was obvious by observation alone..." Doctor J began to chuckle. This made Relena's face redden even more. "Interesting. You two must've put on quite a show." When Relena's silence became uncomfortable, Heero sent a glare to his former instructor.

"That's enough."

"I'm surprised that you two would allow your emotions to control your action, especially you, Heero."

"I said that's enough."

"Very well. No mean to pry. Your personal business is your own, but never forget your purpose. This group is too dangerous to take lightly. The Peacecraft family, as you said, needs to be protected from being wiped out. The least you can do is keep your hormones in check until this is taken care of." Heero was almost near seething when Doctor J finished that sentence. Relena's hand rested on his arm, and her grip seemed to keep him in check, to the doctor's surprise. "I will need to speak to you as soon as possible on the matter, Heero." Relena suddenly felt her face pale drastically as the man walked toward the door. She had to speak now or she'd fall apart on the spot.

"Doctor J, I want to know if I can still bear children." Her heart clenched and her grip tightened on Heero's arm. This was so important to her. She wouldn't be able to go another minute without knowing this fact. It was inevitable that he would say no, but she didn't want to go another minute. The man stopped as though trying to delay himself. Perhaps he wanted to make her squirm in her seat; it was working.

"Yes, you are able." Relena stared quietly as if trying to register what he had said. After all the mental games she had played with herself, it was hard to believe that she was still able to bear children. "Though, to bear any children from now on means you would have to be extremely careful during those nine months. One tumble to the ground at any stage could cause a miscarriage." Her brow furrowed. It was still possible to have a child, but there was so much she couldn't bear to happen if they tried again. She nodded in comprehension and swallowed her tears.

"I understand...thank you for telling me, Doctor J."

"Don't thank me just yet. I haven't said anything you could appreciate yet." And with that the man left the room as quietly as he entered. Relena only squeezed Heero's arm harder and watched as he turned toward her. Tears began to stream down her face and he brushed them away without a second thought.

"Will we ever be happy again, Heero?"


	3. Chapter 3

The room was dim, both men at opposite sides of the rounded horizontal table; their stares were avoidant. There was much to be said for the two, one being the fact that their records were military issued, and the second being they preferred to keep to themselves when around one another. They didn't like each other because neither felt they could win if they fought. Heero sat across from the unusually tense Count, his hand resting on the conference table next to him; their eyes never actually met. Perhaps they were afraid of the truth they would find about the situation. He sat leisurely though, or as leisurely as he deemed fit, in the room with the second most dangerous person in Relena's life, her brother. Strangely enough, her trust was with both of them. Right now, Heero knew what the man across from him would say; he was just hoping he would not say it. The thing he didn't want to hear was for him to stay away from Relena.

"However carefully you plan, you never know if some fool is going to change the future. So, you may as well do what your heart tells you. So you won't regret it later. That's the right path...for people who live life in the present."

Heero's thoughts were surrounded with his sense of duty. Perhaps he was not fit to be in Relena's life, but even if he could get away, he wouldn't be able to get her out of his mind. Odin Lowe had always been right. Some fool had changed the future. But the change was what brought them here. Heero, up until this point where the woman of his dreams had gotten hurt, found he didn't want to run from her anymore. She made him want to live.

"Why don't you just say what's on your mind." There, Heero thought. The ball's in his court. Now all he needed was him to tell him what he didn't want to hear.

"What I say and what I think are two different things altogether. Relena is still alive, and that's the important part, so I can trust that what I think is pure concern that a brother should have. The fact is that I wasn't fast enough to stop it." Milliardo sent Heero a look of slight contempt as though a question had been milling over in his mind the entire time. "The question I have for you is simple.

"Did you know ahead of time?"

"Not of the attack. I did know there was a chance of something happening but didn't want to interfere in case they discovered I was watching them." Heero knew he made sense. Not that much of what he said didn't, but logic reasoned well with Zechs. Never mind the fact that neither could reach Relena in time. Duo wanted to assign her a bodyguard right away, despite the fact that they were under strict surveillance orders, but Trowa and Heero ignored him, blamed his nerves for acting up. There was no way they could've guessed she would've been attacked as soon as they did. It was a mistake in judgment; it's true if he had taken them with more open-mindedness they could've stopped it, but their cover would've then been blown. There was no time. Even so, if he had noticed the signs when they did, they would have made it to the scene the exact time as they had originally appeared, and Zechs would have been less than mindful of the decisions made.

"Then we're at a standstill. What do you know, other than the obvious?"

"They're quick to act and judge. They make plans, and then follow through with them as soon as the signs are clear. It could've been a shotgun operation. They saw something to use to their advantage, and flew from the seat of their pants."

"Such as?"

"They only sent one associate. Relena was alone in an empty house. There weren't any guards around, and she was focused on whatever she was doing at the time."

"She was reading." Hearing this caused Heero to think of her proposals, to see if something she was working on was less than agreeable with the enemy. They probably thought they could sway her opinion on something—

A book slid in front of him slowly, as though Zechs was trying to make a subtle point. It was thick, like a bible, and Heero looked at the title on the thick paperback book. His heart stopped for a moment as he allowed his mind to grasp the concept in front of him. He had been trying to hide the fact that he could've been, would've been, a father. The idea of sharing a future with this woman had become so clear that night in the hotel room, but he didn't think it had a real future to determine. A sigh escaped him.

It was a baby name book. He recognized it as an old volume Relena had packed away when she had moved to her current residence. She had told him about it when he asked; her mother, Mrs. Darlian, let her have it before the inter-colony tension had gotten worse. He remembered the way her hand caressed the cover lovingly, how her eyes got soft and wistful. She had opened it and flipped through a few pages, thinking about names she would call her child should she ever become a mother, but after a moment, her eyes reddened and she paused. She shut the book rather roughly and packed it away with the rest of her stuff—the bottom of the pile as he recalled, probably for more emphasis on what she thought her fate was.

She had been reading it when the attacker came by. Regret made its way through his mind again; she had been hurt under the pretense that she was going to be a mother. That much he knew he could count on. Picking up the volume in a moment of weakness, he saw a makeshift bookmark near the middle of the pages. When he opened the book, there was a dried daisy near the binding.

It had been the first time he had seen such a sight. It was probably Mrs. Darlian's flower, but he wouldn't have been surprised if Relena had put it there. Underneath the flower was a folded piece of paper, and all thoughts were wiped from his mind, as well as on his face. As he reached for the piece of paper, he stopped his shaking hand; this was taking too long to accomplish, but he didn't care. The paper reached his hand and he opened it easily with one hand:

Odette Kaori Yuy. Melodic. Strong. Only. His thoughts returned to interpret the information. He wiped his hand across his face to shake the disbelief, the realization, of the name. She had taken his name. A little girl. Had she gotten to naming a boy as well? He suddenly felt a surge of emotion from the paper; his eyes began to redden, but no tears clouded his vision. The name brought him joy. It made him sad and angry and horrified. Of his years of death and destruction, he found he had helped create something instead of destroy it. Since this had started, he had not once thought she would become pregnant, and now that last night had happened, he found he couldn't live without the thought.

He imagined he looked damn amusing to Zechs, and found a focal point he could zone in on. The piece of paper was folded again and places within the confines of the book carefully. Shutting the volume, he placed it back onto the table and felt his anger begin to build. The terrorists had targeted Relena. They made her smile disappear, the one that radiated for weeks before the attack, the one that made his heart glow with love. He had concentrated his energy so many times to keep the feeling inside, and found an easy way to recall it whenever he wanted to: He needed her to stay in his life.

Right now, though, he needed to stay in control.

The desperation was taking a good hold of him, but not as fast as anger. It stormed up from behind his care and pushed it aside, charging ahead of the array of emotions. He could feel the urge to get revenge. At this time there was no urge to merely take the group out; he wanted to plant a bullet in between the eyes of the one who attacked her. Either that or one to the neck, where he would suffer before his miserable life ended.

"All right, I'm angry. Now what." Zechs looked gratified by the flurry of emotions he had been displaying. Apparently he had been waiting for this reaction. Perhaps they could come to a mutual agreement on how to settle this. It seemed promising. The man looked equally angry, and he knew there were limitless possibilities which could take place. Heero let a realization dawn on him.

Zechs wanted him to be as angry as possible. Unfortunately, it was working. Whenever it came to Relena's safety and wellbeing, he was willing to do anything to make sure the justice was done. It was a sane human response to protect those you love. This course needed to be taken.

"I won't tell you to stay away from her. It wouldn't keep you two from doing anything without my knowledge and it would make me less than noble in her eyes. I don't want to see her unhappy; I've seen her that way before, and I didn't like it. You can protect her, and seeing her with anyone else who wouldn't be able to match her...personality..." He paused. "No one else can really stand up to her ideals and if they can, they most likely can't understand them." Heero was taken aback by the speech Zechs was making. Why was he getting everything out in the open? Did he plan to make him angry before talking to him about Relena? What would he accomplish by this?

"She would be in good hands if something happened to me." Heero almost looked at him in shock. That's his point? Or was there something else? Was he expecting to die?

"I'm not planning on dying anytime soon...especially if they're prone to shotgun ops. It's sloppy work." Okay, Heero thought. This was becoming a little more to the point. His tone, low and disgusted, was making wheels turn inside Heero's head. He didn't say anything more; he didn't need to. They were lining up on the level between them, calling for a silent agreement to settle their differences right here, right now.

"What do you propose we do about it."

"I was thinking along the lines of making some difficult career choices. Granted, we would probably be joined by many, but secrecy would be key."

"Relena need not be involved, then."

"Correct. No Preventers unless you know them personally." That was the catch. The spin of information Heero needed to hear, yet didn't. Zechs wanted to do just as much damage to this group as he did. He would need to either tell someone or tell no one. He wouldn't, granted, unless he had no other alternative before he made the choice. If he told Duo, and Relena became suspicious, then she would know to go to Duo, because he was able to be manipulated. If he told Trowa, the pilot would go with it beautifully, perfectly, until all was done. He would take it to the grave, but his humanity and willingness for necessity would make him less prone to join. The others were out of the question. Therefore going it alone would be the best. With the knowledge between him and Zechs, the connections, the determination, they could literally conquer civilizations and move mountains. Not that they needed to, but the thought was somewhat comforting.

Not telling Relena, though, was a need. That meant things would have to go on as though nothing happened. Secrets she didn't want to come across would need to be flawless; ones he swore never to cross her path with. He didn't like lying to her, nobody did. If anything got too bad, they both would have their hands full of her politics. Don't get caught. She hated lies. If she had any inkling of him and Zechs working together on even a toothpick log cabin, she would take it bad and put the pieces together. He had a feeling this would get messy if she were to find out anything.

Lying to Relena. Thoughts he guessed would never have entered his mind had graced him with their presence. "Tell me how you feel about lying to her." Why couldn't he say her name? Relena. Relena. He could say it quietly as a prayer, yell it when she was in peril, whisper while he made love to her in that hotel room...

Why couldn't he say her name? Was it so impersonal? Was he trying to make it a secret to himself as well as to her? Was he so sure he still could lie to her?

"I don't want to do it. I feel a brother's instinct not to tell her. To take care of the problem before she suspects anything. Simple. It's easy enough, and I've done it before." So, Zechs was having as hard a time as he. His voice was quiet, strained. Heero had never heard him speak like this before, like a boy who told his friends not to tell about the toilet-papered tree in the neighbor's yard.

Heero could relate. Keeping secrets from Relena wasn't an instinct. It was duty not to tell her some things because of communication moles from the enemy. His decision was made. Would Relena find out? Would she forgive them? Both had possibilities of happening, but they were good at what they did. If they didn't tell her ever and took it to their grave, she would know nothing more than it was taken care of. The rest of the details would need to be figured out as they went, if not before. "Fine.

"I'm in."


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting in his office on the tenth floor of the Preventer's office section, Duo sat while going over some documents he made up for the boss lady. If he hadn't been there, he would've been at the hospital guarding Relena from attackers. He was tired from doing nothing all day. Well, there were things he had been doing, but there was no physical activity to settle his mind.

When people didn't do anything they did two things: get tired, and get chubby. Right now he was getting tired, and he seriously needed to take a trip to the gym. He felt so useless. At least if he was working out, he could impress the ladies and get his workout done for the day. Yep, the ladies loved his physique, but he was off limits thanks to a beautiful woman named Hilde. But one thing still remained.

He was tired.

He wasn't bored. On the contrary, things had become interesting if not downright weird. Guarding Relena had never been more entertaining. People would come into her room and give her a hug, and then they would avoid the subject of her attack until she bossed it out of them. She was not someone to take lightly when she was irritated. She usually held in her emotions when it came to stress. Her lion stayed in its' cage when she was anything but downright furious. When she was angry, she let you have it.

Yes, Relena Peacecraft was irritated because of the people around her. She didn't like it when people avoided the truth that she was in real danger of dying or not being able to wake up one morning without a baby to feed. Sure she was able to have children as she was told, but she was also in danger of losing it should she have one bad turn during the nine months.

Treat her like a doll, why don't you, he thought. Throw her emotions around until they're unrecognizable and don't let her know you're uncomfortable around hospital scenes and injured people. It's not like she had an amputated leg or anything. She was just attacked and she's completely sane and in her right mind. Her conversations were becoming longer as she settled back into the gist of conversation and nothing could stop her; it seemed as though she had changed her frame of mind overnight.

She had convinced herself that she would never be able to bear the child of her honey and now that she had been reassured otherwise, she was feeling a little less than giddy but better than upset. He, of course, could talk to her about whatever she wanted. She was comfortable around him as a sister would be to a brother, not her brother per say, but some would say they were "romanticizing the brother/sister relationship," making it the model friendship to everyone including themselves.

Guarding her was like taking extra time off for lunch, you really thought you had to be working, but a few more minutes were too good of an offer to miss. They talked about the progress they had been making on getting the terrorists (or, as he called them, just plain "assholes"), and since they hadn't been catching anything really helpful, he basically spent his time talking to her about her thoughts and Hilde.

Thoughts of Heero when he showed up everyday for at least two hours so he could ask her how she was doing ran through his mind. Heero Yuy, talking about the present, was rather boring. What made Relena fall for him was beyond Duo.

The man didn't know how to talk to the ladies.

Heero Yuy did not talk about the future or the past very often. Granted, Duo mused, he probably thought too much about it, but aloud everything was still. Apparently, they didn't do a lot of talking the other day considering her flushed face and slightly heavy breathing when he returned. He was a gentleman for the most part, so he teased them as much as he possibly could.

Then again, Duo went out to lunch when Heero appeared, so most of the things he thought were merely speculation. Personally, there was only one way for a woman's lips to swell like that, and only one way she would get that dreamy look in her eyes, but it definitely could've been something not lusty...yeah right, Duo corrected himself.. Heero looked a bit disoriented afterwards, but most of the time Duo was sure his eyes were just playing games on him.

Anytime where Heero was in a good mood was a good time.

In addition, his friend later on had always become quieter than usual, but not in the manner that he just snogged with his girlfriend kind of way, but more jumpy than anything. He probably shouldn't be like this so early in the game; it seemed he was more regretful of something he had done as he stared at his water bottle and glared at things that were placed out in front of him.

In the surveillance and operation field for this fire, he really shouldn't have been acting this way. He was naturally a very quiet man, very intent, but not anxious. Perhaps he was jumping the gun a little too much since the love of Heero's life had been maliciously attacked with intent to kill. No, Duo thought. It was probably just his way of coping with the incident. He was angry and wanted to do something more than just sit there listening to static; Duo could relate.

In the hallways between shifts, when Heero wasn't taking over for Duo, Zechs often showed up later and suddenly Duo had another lunch break. It wasn't anything too out of the ordinary really. The two glared at each other in the hallways, passing one another without acknowledgment and usually continuing as though merely walking. Usually Duo was exiting the cafeteria sector after a meal to hold him off until dinner, and decided to take that usual route when he began to notice that this meeting was becoming rather interesting. Right away Duo noticed something unusual about their routine pass through the hallway.

After a week of this, Duo had begun noticing more peculiar observances. At first he just let them be and sauntered off because he wasn't needed. Then he saw something as he waited for the two to move on; Zechs' left hand was stagnant while the other swung gently, casually, by his side. His thumb was turned in towards his palm while it swung as it did.

Heero had slipped Zechs a note. No one but him saw it. The signals and flashing lights went off every time he saw it happen, and when he calmed himself down from the sheer intensity of the moment, he began to think of everything he knew about the two and of his training.

If there was one thing Duo knew about living on the streets for the first few years of his life, it was how to pickpocket without letting anyone be the wiser. He decided to mull it over after a few minutes of walking in the opposite direction as Heero and Zechs both. Should he find out what that was supposed to be about? On first instinct, every sign, every voice screamed out a resounding "YES!"; but his logic came shortly after and he opted for waiting instead. If there was anything he knew about the two it was this:

If they were working together for a common goal, say revenge in this case, and no one else was to know about it, did he really, really want to know?

Perhaps he didn't want to know. Who knows, he thought. Maybe I'd be much, much better off not knowing what's going through their heads right now. Heero knows I'm good at what I do; he knows I saw it. Hell, he probably even planned on me knowing! But I'm not biting this time. No way, I'd rather sit by Relena's hospital bed without something on my mind. I'll sit there like a good boy and talk to her as though there's absolutely nothing on my mind...yep, absolutely nothing on my mind...

They were definitely up to no good. Those two setting aside their differences was big, Duo thought. Those two passing off information to one another was even bigger, and those two planning anything under any circumstances without anyone's permission or orders was bad news. Duo almost cried from the unfairness of it all.

"I'm in trouble." Duo talked openly with Relena. She confided in him. She trusted him. She could read anyone and everyone because of her association with the best in the business-politicians and Gundam Pilots. If Relena had a small inkling or notion that Duo knew something troubling, she would squeeze it out of him without needing to raise a finger. Sitting there in bed with nothing better to do than focus all of her energy on one person instead of several documents or politicians, Duo knew his card had come up. He knew he shouldn't tell anyone what he noticed. He knew he shouldn't let anyone think he had some kind of secret. He knew if he walked in to say hello to that woman in the state he was in, he would not hear the end of it, from Relena or Heero.

So wait, he thought. Find out more. Heero and Zechs were professionals themselves. There was a good possibility that they knew he saw them. Perhaps it was a setup. It could've been their way of getting him to choose whether or not he wanted to join them. Duo kicked the wall near him and watched a couple of Preventers send a stare his way. They said nothing, though. He was an elite kind of guy. No one messed with him. Being a special guy, no one messed with him; it got lonely at times, but he knew he had friends he could trust.

"Hey, Duo!" a voice from behind him said. Duo turned only to see Trowa approaching him with a serious tone according to his demeanor. When the Heavyarms pilot reached him, his voice became an uttered ghost of a sound. "I need to talk to you in private."

So, Duo thought. He saw it too. Looking over to scan for anyone suspicious, Duo saw Heero at the end of the hall, staring at him silently before disappearing around the corner. Duo could've sworn the man had been watching their reactions. Great, now he's got us in one spot: the target under our feet. "Sure." His voice was tired as he followed Trowa to one of the lesser traveled hallways, his mind picturing the conversation. When Trowa wanted to speak he usually had something important to say.

The door closed behind Duo as they escaped the hallway to stand in a dark office. "It's just them, isn't it," Trowa said. Duo nodded. "Should we get involved?" Duo stretched on his toes and raised his hands up high as if reaching to touch the high ceiling. When he relaxed, his face was worn and raw with graveness of the situation. Looking out the window to see the city sprawled out as far as the eye could see, he found himself wishing he were somewhere out there with Hilde, drinking coffee as they walked through a park, a store, anywhere but here. Running a hand over his face, he turned his stare to Trowa.

"I'd rather not. Relena would turn to me if she suspected anything going on. This is Heero we're talking about." There was a pause. "I didn't think you'd want to get involved."

"I have issues with this group."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

"How about generals?" Trowa stared at Duo blankly, thinking of everything this incident had caused. He had to leave his home to work at the Preventers in order to make everything better, to allow the sleepless nights to disappear for everyone. Relena did her part, Heero too, and now they were suffering. It only seemed right that their strain be lightened with the knowledge that they could depend on his loyalty.

"...I joined the Preventers to keep the peace. They took that away from us. I found I was happier knowing they didn't, and shouldn't exist."

"Then why come to me?"

"They need our loyalty, someone they can depend on. You know they can't do this on their own."

"Aww, I didn't know you cared."

"I don't."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that?" When Trowa glared at him, Duo rolled his eyes. "Man, what's with everyone and glaring?" When his friend refused to answer, Duo sighed and smoothed down his hair. Of all the times in need, he never once refused to help. Call me sentimental, he thought. I never could turn down the help of a friend. "Of course, I'm in. Can't let Heero have all the fun now, can we?" When a ghost of a smile appeared on Trowa's lips, all Duo could hear was the cries of the opposition when they got their punishment. It turned his stomach sickly as he thought of what Trowa was capable of, what Heero and Zechs and the rest of them were capable of. He didn't really want to help make all that happen, but perhaps Heero would let him sit on the sidelines to cover up his tracks. Anything beyond that and Duo knew he would harbor some serious regret.

Sure it would feel good at first, but he would be damned if he saw Relena's face as she said that she thought better of him.


	5. Chapter 5

He burst through the door with a new type of vigor; his adrenaline was pumping through his veins as his hands went to rest on his knees. It had taken so little effort to get him where he was standing, but he knew he needed to be here. He had no real choice but to be here. He was tired once again, but his body carried him the final three flights nonetheless. There was little the guy could do to keep his thoughts straight. Heero had told him there was some information to be relayed concerning the mission, and he needed to get there at seven a.m. exactly. He had a few minutes to spare to tell the truth, but it wouldn't matter to them. He and Trowa were sadistic in that way.

When Duo appeared on the rooftop of Preventers' HQ in a panting state, he was not surprised to see Heero and Trowa glaring at him from the ledge. Again with the glaring, he thought.

"You're late."

"Uh-uh, I'm on time." Fifteen minutes to reach the point where he was. Five god damn minutes to run up fifteen floors only to meet with these ugly mugs. "You guys are here early just to make me look bad. So, why did you call us up here?" He wanted an explanation for getting dragged up the stairs of the last fifteen floors of HQ. The stairs started there because there were no conference rooms up top, nor were there office rooms. These rooms were made for the only purpose of holding prisoners. Apparently going up was tougher to understand for prisoners who where interrogated. It probably made them think they were being questioned in the presence of someone in an office room. They were blindfolded the entire time, so they weren't told any different. There was one entrance; there was one exit throughout the entire section. There was one swerving, chaotic hallway which ran from the top to where the elevator was fifteen floors down. It was humorous to those who walked up and down those stairs only to find an elevator left behind or right in front of you; it makes you wonder if you missed the door.

That is, it's funny if you're not the one doing all of those steps. Duo knew now that there were twelve steps per flight, and two per level, for fifteen levels. Three hundred and sixty steps altogether. He had undergone worse, like basic training at age eight when he was commissioned to become a Gundam Pilot. Fourteen thousand stairs in a week. Unbelievable, but he had some strong legs to make up his speed. He had seen it all, the painful missions he had to overcome, the dislocated shoulders and legs, the broken noses he had to set himself—a broken nose was all he could stand to set alone.

"So, what's the emergency?"

"We've got some information on the organization." Duo began to absorb the information as he had been trained to, not denying himself anything which concerned the operation. Heero leaned back against the ledge, crossing his arms as a front to what he really felt. "They're anarchists; they call themselves simply eighty-six. There's a chance they didn't care for..." Heero paused. He seemed to fight with his emotions about calling Relena by name. Perhaps it was one of the many things they had worked around in the past few weeks. "..Relena's balance of the system. There was nothing else which provoked their actions."

Duo's face was blank. Maybe it was too much, to believe that the world was either on one side or the other: Those who wanted peace and those who despised peace. There was no room for those who didn't take sides, who dwelled on the negative insights and just wished for a little chaos. Hurting those who wished for a little peace and quiet was not right. His eyes were clouded by confusion and a twinge of anger.

"They want disorder? Is that it?" Heero nodded and the braided pilot's face went blank once again. There was no way he could fathom those words. Anyone who had been through a war such as they had would have not understood. He grew up in a hateful world, knew the value of peace just as others who had worked with him. "They entered a person's home and attacked her, unprovoked?"

They attacked Relena Darlian, the symbol of peace in their time of need, without a purpose?

"She's walking around in stitches, nearly bled to death, and lost a child through force because some jerkwad wanted a good laugh?" He was beginning to redden with anger. There were unbidden emotions rising up; so that's where that taste came from: A new type of disgust brought on by a new generation of horrors. "We had to get that creepy Doctor J out of hiding for this? I was better off not knowing where the hell that guy was. And now she's having weekly checkups from the craziest one of the bunch.

"Do I even want to know why he's even here?"

"He's the one who tipped me off in the first place. Then I went to Une. I didn't want him involved, but he found a way to stay inside the loop, and Une was okay with that. He's merely here to stand by and make sure Relena has eyes on her at all times." Heero's explanation made a lot of sense, and it was a lot easier to hear than he was anticipating. He could live with an explanation like that.

"Why Duo, we thought you didn't want to get involved," said Trowa with a smirk. The man was not letting Duo get the better of any situation. They came here to personally corner him for the hell of it. Unfortunately, it was worth it and the need to make a difference was stronger yet.

"They need to be reminded. They don't know how lucky they were to grow up in a world without war in their lives. Playing with lives like they did..." Duo fell silent, and then glanced away for a second before looking at his comrades with such passion which told them how he felt about the situation. He felt angry, horrified, disgusted, and saddened. He had spent much time with the injured woman, learning how she thought. What time they spent talking about everything merely amplified all of those emotions, and the two men before him knew it. "...without a purpose or message. That's just wrong."

That was another trigger for the man. They as Gundam Pilots grew up with a purpose, even if it was to go through with Operation: Meteor. But they had something to drive them, to motivate them into believing in a cause, to sacrifice for something or someone who made an impact on their lives.

"Would you kill one of them?" Trowa and Duo's attention was drawn to Heero, and Duo knew what he wanted to say but what he was going to do was react logically. These people had no idea what it was like to fight for a reason. To kill one of them would mean killing someone who hadn't been right in the head. Doing something like that would have been classified as wrong as well. Killing was not an option.

"No. I couldn't kill an idiot." Trowa glared at Duo, but it wasn't the tough kind of glare he was used to when he said something, if anything, wrong or misleading. It was the empathic glare of a soldier who had seen too much to make the wrong decisions. They all understood what he said. Perhaps they were speaking of this before he appeared on that rooftop. A long moment passed; and then a small connection made itself known to Duo. Pieces of the puzzle began to sort through his mind. It was more of a revelation than a realization, but if it made sense to their cause, why should it matter?

The men who did this were supposed to be anarchists, but they didn't act like anarchists. When they had staked out that night, it was within the first month that Heero and Relena had done the nasty. When they searched for files just before the attack, there were no files prior to that date on L3. She was in the L3 Colony Cluster at the time, but whether that made much of a difference was still to be seen. The thing was that the files weren't dated before then. That meant probably two things: That it hadn't been planned before that night or that it was meant to appear that way.

What were the chances of the first option being right?...

"So, what you're telling me is they had no reason to attack Relena." Heero looked at Trowa, who then promptly nodded. "Does that mean they just happened to stumble upon two people sleeping together, one the Peacecraft Princess and the other a gun-toting Gundam Pilot, on a random night in an untagged suite?"

"Looks like we've got a mastermind on our hands," said Trowa. "Perhaps someone with a higher motive than the anarchists is guiding them, pointing them in the direction."

"Either that or they aren't anarchists at all." Heero seemed less than enthused of the notion that they were merely innocent puppets controlled by a higher power. He wanted to believe that the person who attacked the woman in his life had a purpose of some kind, because he had never encountered such a person.

Imbeciles, they thought at once.

"And we're sure there are no such terms as random and anarchy in the leader's eyes?"

"Only to those who have no clue as to what's going on. If anything, the leader is organized and prepared to sacrifice the lives of others in order to accomplish a mission he had mapped out previously. We've seen this before."

"Yeah." Pawns on a battlefield, that's what those men were who made the attack possible. The man in charge was just another Dekim or Colonel Une pre-enlightenment style. Sacrificing the lives of others was just as bad as attacking someone for no other purpose but to kill. The disgust on Trowa's face reflected as they thought of the damage they could do.

"So, take out the mastermind and there'll be chaos among the ranks. Is the security lax?"

"Yeah."

"And we're sure it's an anarchist group?"

"All accept the leader and whoever is taking the precautions to make it look like one. We'll need a hostage higher up in the ranks who knows the plan behind the leader."

"Then what were we waiting for?"

"You to be ready to join us." Duo froze at Trowa's words. The information stuck to his brain like gum to his ribs. Of course they made fun of him for being late and told him to meet them up here, up fifteen freaking flights of stairs, up three hundred and sixty steps in order to talk to him. Damn them and their tactics. Put him off guard by an early morning workout and tempt his anger. "You didn't think staying on the sidelines would make you feel better, did you?"

"Staying out of trouble would've been the logical choice. You and Zechs only want to capture one of them?" Duo turned to see that Trowa too was curious as to what the plan was, and he turned his stare to the stern man.

"At first. Then we go to work on them. We make sure that they will never again feel the urge to cause pain without purpose, especially when the pain is directed to those who don't deserve it." His voice was tainted with a silent rage that begged to be released. Relena wouldn't need to have her heart burdened anymore by such senselessness in men. They were no older than teenagers, and even they knew that she was more important than anything they ever imagined. They wanted their peace back, their minds free of such duty for even just a couple of hours so they could sleep at night. She could provide the peace they wanted; she was the proverbial security blanket they hid under when things got too rough. And they knew she needed them just as much as they needed her.

They couldn't let her down.

"I..." Duo muttered. "...am such a sap for evening the score. When do we begin?" Heero glanced at his watch, taking little time in gathering his thoughts before looking at Duo again.

"Five minutes ago. A little after you showed up. It took a bit longer to explain the details of the mission, but the generals were over within twenty seconds. You, however, caved at thirty seconds." There was a little disappointment in the man's voice, and Duo quirked an eyebrow.

"Didn't hold out as long as expected, did I?"

"Longer."

"Oh ye of little or no faith. Liars, the both of you." When Trowa and Heero let a ghost of a smile cross their features, Duo knew it was the reaction he had been looking for. Those two were definitely loosening up. "You know, your attitude has changed. Whatever you do, don't lose her." Heero's face became serious as Duo said this, and he looked away in silent agreement. Duo let a smirk cross his face in amusement. "We like you better when we know you've gotten some. Keep up the good work. You're obviously doing something right."

A muffled sound came from Trowa's direction that sounded like choked laughter and Heero glared at the two abruptly; his face began to redden ever so slightly. But he took it, and Duo chuckled. "Make us proud, buddy boy. We'll need some good news around here after this."


	6. Chapter 6

A few months ago. . . 

~~~~

"No."

"It's necessary."

"No."

"Relena please be rational."

"Three times in six months, Lady Une. Three! I refuse to waste time on something so frivolous!" Relena was speaking, almost shouting, into her phone, not pleased with what she was hearing from Preventers HQ. She paced her living room around boxes of books and clothing, while men lugged her things out of the small house. Her [temporary-enough] house. Her safer-than-most, two bedroom with all of her things and her photo collection house. It was her first long-term place, and Lady Une was trying to move her without her consent. "I have three proposals to go over, and another stack in three boxes that have to be looked over. I have to have a desk."

Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian didn't own this house by any means. It was a workhaven for national dignitaries who needed to live there for extended periods of time. Her negotiations sometimes took longer and it was more affordable than staying in a hotel. She'd not wanted to buy a home when people were unable to afford their own care, especially with those in the colonies who suffered most during the war. And she wasn't crazy about living with her brother and sister-in-law, as Milliardo and Lucrecia were rather protective. She loved them with all her heart, but she needed her own space to work. Relena was damned if she was going to let the Preventers uproot her life again. There was only room for one overprotective watcher, and he traveled everywhere with her.

"Relena, you're going to be on that flight, and you'll have plenty of time to go over the papers today and tomorrow. If need be we'll arrange an extra day for planning error." Relena didn't know where she was moving. She never did. The whole week had been stressful and she refused to show tears at such an imperative time of the year. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. Moving during a busy legal season where everyone was trying to sneak things into proposals, like extra funding for a frivolous second beautification project that had no way of helping the people of L4, or Earth's growing labor law concerns. She was going to find herself at wits' end sooner than later.

"You knew this place could be temporary. Look at how much we've--"

"I will not be uprooted at the cost of the people just because someone made a threat." Relena looked at the mantle where the overhead mirror still rested while Lady Une cited Preventers regulation, the tension headache. She lowered the phone and breathed in. That decoration had been here for almost a decade when the house was built. It had a longer lifespan here. Everywhere had a longer lifespan than her. She was in a constant transitionary state and her work ethic was beginning to deteriorate. Relena picked up a stray book from the mantle. War and Peace. The anger was building, and she swung the book down to her side. There were few instances where this might've helped. This was not one of them. Not even close. Relena gripped the binding and put the book a little harder than she intended. Then she raised the phone to her ear.

"You'd do well to keep me here before we spend more money moving my entire life about." Then she heard him. Stalking down the stairs with a slight more effort than on his way up, Relena wanted to know more than anything what the Gundam Pilot was doing to cause such a change in pace. He was usually so quiet. She sighed lightly. "I have a position which requires more security but moving me every three months is--my apologies, but please hold." Relena stopped and looked at Heero Yuy in the entryway. Donning a black t-shirt and jeans, he was holding a bookcase under one arm and her overnight bag in his free hand as he descended the staircase. She stared a moment too long at his arms, knowing that he'd grown more into himself. No longer stood a boy of sixteen with destructive force and tendency. She saw today a man with direction, drive, and a will to achieve greatness. One thing hadn't changed. How she felt when he looked at her.

And he was moving her out of her house. "Heero, could you please put down my shelf, I'm still needing that."

"Most of the books are boxed up already. There are a few in the attic still." Heero didn't move from where he stood, and Relena was sure he'd not stop until she was completely relocated. She refused to be cowed, so she squared her shoulders and ignored the persistent warming in her body that came with even his proximity and heavy stare.

"Relena, may I speak to Agent Yuy, please?" The young politician walked over to the staircase where Heero stood, and held the phone out for him. Here, in the quiet of the house, and in close proximity of the man she loved, was the safest place in the universe. And as her guard, he was a second skin to her. Where she went he followed or led, depending on the situation. She knew he'd been likely either listening or trying to listen to both ends of the conversation, ever since he'd turned up the volume and locked in the sound. It'd taken her by surprise and for some reason the service had no clue how he'd managed to personalize the volume strictly to Preventers' calls. He set the bag down and took the phone, their fingers grazing ever so slightly. Her body flared to life.

It was a rare contact she had, warm, ever since she'd become the Vice Foreign Minister. No one approached her outside of dances and even then they were so caught up in politics that she was rarely asked. People were also intimidated by her position, and possibly her bodyguard, and Relena was afraid she'd never be personally satisfied with her life. She was allowed to be strong, caring, have dreams of grandiose proportion and yes, even allowed to have her own dream of marrying. Her policies were said to be inspiring, productive, and forward-moving, but they were just words she wrote.

There was a chance she'd never know any other love than that of the one she held for others, and those of those who benefitted from her work. Relena hoped Heero didn't see that tiniest bit of regret, or realize her exhaustion from the circles under her eyes. She was proud and happy to work for the people of the ESUN. She was fine with the decision to sacrifice her privacy and social life.

Relena was just worried it would cost her peace of mind.

"Agent Yuy?"

"Yes, Commander." They were both able to hear the conversation, a small added plus. Relena stepped around the side of the staircase to see to the stray books and boxes not yet packed, and stopped to look up at Heero. His eyes were on her and her heart fluttered.

"Do whatever it takes to move the Vice Foreign Minister." Relena's eyes widened and she stopped the scoff rising from her diaphram. This was making her work suffer, and Relena Darlian was her work. She let out a sigh, knowing what was coming next.

"Understood." Yep. Classic Heero.

"That is all. Thank you, and you may put Relena back on." Heero held out his hand for her to take the phone, and she took it with a bit of apprehension. Their hands almost touched and she felt the slightest disappointment. That was that. Heero was going to be in Mission Mode, as she privately referred, until she was relocated. Relena was sure he'd follow an order like Lady Une's in a heartbeat, especially in a circumstance such as this. He wasn't for or against the move as far as she knew, but Relena wasn't going to be alone at least, no matter how isolated. She stood up straight and looked him square in the eyes, bringing the phone up.

"You win this round, Lady Une." Relena let the phone click shut unceremoniously. "That's that, then. I'll be upstairs packing those books away." And she began to descend the stairs.

"That was fast." She paused as her heart leapt. Then confusion set in. Relena turned to look at her bodyguard.

"Sorry?"

"Usually you try for a rebuttal."

"You're well aware I have three proposals to go over this weekend, and I can't spend more time than I have to arguing with Preventers HQ if I'm going to get anything done. Why are you doing this again?" Heero gave her a smirk which melted her a little. She held her breath. Did he even know he had that ability? Holding that bookshelf didn't really help, she couldn't help but stare at his arms for a moment. She could lose herself in him and not even bat an eye in regret. When did her body take over her reason, where she'd abandon her senses and just watch him all day?

"I was the eventual volunteer." Heero was getting a sense of humor. She gave him a small smile which said she knew very well how many Preventers had requested to be off moving duties. Her voice seemed to lose its resolve with every exchange she had with Lady Une, as though the fight in her just wasn't into it. Heero paused for a moment and she caught herself. The sudden light feel of the room disappeared, and Heero slowly carried the shelf and bag out, muscles contracting in his arms. Her eyes lingered.

Maybe he did know what he did to her, he was a very smart man. The fact that he was dangerous didn't matter to her, not like it used to. Heero was Heero, still a deadly man, and still an agent under the guidance of the Preventor's agency. He just never seemed to give up on her, as she would never give up on him. She believed him a great man once, but she was happy when he became a good one. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she continued up the stairs for what she was sure would be a small distraction from her long list of duties today. There was a good chance she'd not be able to sleep tonight.

She'd ask later where they were setting up. Lady Une had mentioned a flight so they were on a schedule. Her feet took her to the stacks of books and she fell to her knees, reaching for a box. A mental list began compiling in her head, full of things to so and complete, people to call for utility connections, and where she was going to store all of her things. Would the Preventers just give her a storage space for her close-to-home items or would she finally detach from her emotional attachments?

Relena had a feeling she may be going over her legal documents en route. Thankfully, Heero seemed to have packed a travel bag for her already, considering he carried it out. It looked like three days' worth stowed away, she knew her travel bag so well and how Heero packed. Maybe if she'd just let Lady Une have what she wanted she'd be mentally better, but moving around hadn't been very healthy, and those moves were the Preventers' idea. Relena wasn't completely adaptable, but Lady Une hadn't been at one point either. In fact, she had to adopt instead of adapt at one point, opting for a crazed lunatic with a gun and switching her out randomly for a perfect pacifist. In the end, oddly, Lady Une went from her father's killer to a woman she deeply admired. How she found the strength to forgive the monster that was Colonel Une was maybe beyond even that which a Peacecraft might honor.

Now Relena was a moving fixture in the lives of the people, and she had to uproot herself again. She would adapt because she had no choice. She reached for the stack of books 

Family.

Oh no, not that word again. Relena cursed her explicit and tired brain, walking into the last room. The word popped into her mind, of its own accord and free will, reminding her yet again, of things that would be distant or non-existant happenings. Relena clenched her fists to center herself, but only found more dischord. Relena Darlian, youngest daughter of the Peacecraft line, did not have a chance for an heir. They would die out, go quietly into the good night. She shook her head of the thoughts, and turned around to assess the remainder of the damage. Her life had gotten so cold.

"What's wrong?" Heero stood in the doorway. Relena did her best to mask her disappointment but even as she schemed the correct facial expression she was increasingly aware of Heero's proximity.

In fact, he was right beside her. Relena didn't bother jumping. She was so used to his slinking that she only had to breathe wrong to know she was under watchful eye. The sheer heat from his body, his natural smell, caused her an involuntary shiver. He was close. Her recognition of his presence was more than she could bear, and with a turn she found herself facing his cobalt blue eyes.

Relena stared into his eyes. Heero was frightening in that which only those with a deep passion could fathom.

So close.

Their lips touched. She reached for his hand.

So warm.

It didn't matter where she went. Home was where she kept her heart, and there was nowhere safer than in Heero's care.


	7. Chapter 7

Relena had overcome the chaos of her attack with the utmost finesse. A weeklong recovery with her physical therapist extended, at least three weeks, was the main stipulation set by Heero and Lady Une. The psychologist she spoke to was impressed with her emotional recovery and she was allowed light paperwork within two days. Heero had been in to see her several times and she reassured him often of her confidence and that he needn't worry about her when there were more pressing issues at hand.

He started coming in more. They never were much for words when it was just the two of them. Relena remembered just one day not needing words to communicate with Heero. Even now, with Heero nearby, she asked him to lie next to her on the bed and just be with her. Until he exhaled and moved closer to her, she was almost sure he wouldn't want to be close to her ever again. Lying next to him was the closest thing to home in her heart. She was glad he didn't push her away like he always seemed to in the past, but they had entwined their lives, knit them so close that undoing the knots would take maximum effort and cause the most damage. He held her with such a delicate hand and kissed her brow.

Doctor J told her not to push her physical boundaries, but she tried in any case. There was a chance it was hormones that told her to kiss him first. She breathed in and a switch was flipped. It had been almost a week, surely the stitches would hold.

Her leg came up to rest at his side, and a stabbing pain in her abdomen stopped her. Her stitches did, in fact, hold, but not in the way she expected. Heero stopped abruptly, taking a moment to draw her attention to him. Her breathing began to come in short gasps and his hand touched her cheek. His lips touched her forehead. The question in his eyes drew her focus, and soon her body released the laced tension. Soon she was calm. “Sorry,” he whispered. Heero drew her into his arms and held her until her breathing leveled out.

“I'm sorry, too,” she said in a hushed tone.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” He breathed in her shampoo and sighed. They sat in silence again, and her body settled down. She didn't ask him anything personal, like why Duo had been around more when she'd normally anticipated, which was not what she suspected. She expected his help the first few days, but then he didn't leave for a week. The lack of usual stamina Duo Maxwell exhibited was concerning to her at first, then when she expected her usual distaste of suspicion something happened.

Relena didn't feel a thing.

It was a small notion, one she had never entertained before, and it had never been an issue until recently. Perhaps the hormones she'd been fighting with this past week or so had drained her reserves. Relena decided not to delve too deeply into such a dark place. She opted to try for a more positive outlook, even if she had to fake it.

She made herself ask how Doctor J survived, if he really was on Libra in the Eve Wars. Heero had groaned and rolled onto his back. The harmless and human gesture brought a smile to her face. Relena turned into him and wondered when he became the one who showed his feelings, or when she stopped showing her own. Her hand rested on his chest. He said there was an escape pod involved but Doctor J wasn't aware of the others' survival. If anything, the five men were adept at solitude, considering they hadn't been together since the beginning. They seemed likely to leave each other to die or escape on their own. How lonely, she said. She held him tighter and calmed to his breathing, fighting to keep herself awake.

She wanted Heero to stay here with her forever. They didn't have forever. He could've held Relena all evening. Relena was positive they didn't have that. The last time he held her like that, the Preventers called him away. This felt a lot like that moment.

It was a dark and selfish thought, wanting to bask in the shield he erected for her in this moment. They were an ocean.

And they were drowning.

He wanted her to escape with him. This hospital wouldn't last forever. In a few days she'd be well enough to move to her temporary quarters, and she'd be moved periodically until he neutralized the threat. Under normal circumstances, he'd be able to track them down and make an example of the enemy.

Relena was well enough to tell the ESUN she was in good health and was planning to take a couple of weeks with a lighter workload and all major projects had to be pushed back and some handled by one of her trusted assistants. Even Sylvia Noventa had come to visit, only to stay for a day with an extended invitation to help her with any extraneous paperwork. Relena had agreed to consider her proposal in case her workload seemed too much. Things seemed normal, almost right on track to full recovery.

Except Relena hadn't said anything about her guard detail. With Duo and Trowa making appearances on a regular basis during the week, the situation would have warranted Relena making some insightful remark about being 'handled' in a manner which promoted lack of trust in the police service provided by the Colony in cooperation with the Preventers. Heero knew this. Relena seemed content to speak well of Sylvia's ideas for the next few weeks, and tried to put her feet back into the shoes fit for the Vice Foreign Minister. It was as though her life hadn't been uprooted and she hadn't been sliced into by an anonymous assailant and robbed of the life growing inside her. Relena seemed, for lack of better phrasing, emotionally and mentally ready to return to work. They moved her to a more public hospital over the weekend and her assistant brought her files.

The days following her attack and rescue were frustrating because of her inability to make peace with the painful reality that she could be attacked again. She didn't ask for him, didn't beg for his company, and most assuredly didn't ask for him to comfort her when they spoke. Heero had reassured her that, though the threat was still in hiding, she would be safe where she was. She didn't eat much, and when she did she threw up and cried. Her cycle spiraled and her hormones overcompensated. There was little she could do when not many people visited her. Then two days later she woke up from a mildly-induced sleep and ate, spoke to the psychologist, and began talking to people. She had flipped a switch and returned from a nightmare, and she spoke very well about the attack and related to the staff, reassuring them she was fine.

There was such a small detail, a closely guarded secret, which led Heero to believe there was something terribly wrong with her. Normally when One pilot was involved in her life it was a sedate season. Heero was her bodyguard, he saw the parts of her life that spiraled out of control. He was incidentally the one who saved her from a bullet, the one who held her when she cried. His mere presence preserved her.

Two pilots was company. Three was a cause of concern, four was an incident, and five was unheard of anymore. Five was the Mariemaia Incident, and even then only four were politically aligned. They were still deadly of their own accord, but not since the Eve Wars was there the full support of the most deadly guerilla force in the Colonies. Relena would have definitely mentioned their presence being of which he'd encountered few times. Most recently, it was her passion for stability in her life, where Relena put much of her weight on the Preventers in order to keep a third move from happening in less than six months. It was actually five and twenty days; she was rounding up.

That's the moment Heero knew the move would happen. Relena always was empathetic. She knew how many days it took to move her, and how far she traveled. Her ability to overlook those details was intentional. Relena hadn't seen more than three Gundam pilots in the past two weeks, and Duo had disappeared two nights ago with Quatre in his stead. Things were moving quickly for her, and she was smart enough to notice the pattern.

Relena was a force to be reckoned with when she put her best foot forward. She made the Earth move at her most resilient, and Heero knew when she said 'No,' it was time to make the choice to hold on or let go of a vendetta. Especially when her brother spoke with her one afternoon. Duo was standing guard just inside, using stealth as his umbilicus. Or, he would have been stealthy if he hadn't been chatting with her about Hilde and the business. Duo probed for information to see if she was avoiding the subject of her attackers, or even showing her contempt of the situation and the sneaking around. If Relena had told him to give her information, he would've been prone to talk to Heero and that would set off guilty vibes. She could topple whatever operation they were planning before its begun.

She made no such move.

It was imperative they never be seen in more than groups of two, hence the limited meetings at strange and random times. Heero lined them up perfectly to remove suspicion. Since he was usually in the fray of things, Heero thought for once she'd let him just handle the situation, but then he realized there was an air to her where her peaceful nature once rested. He made a point to see her often, and to make sure she had detail watching her at all times.

Relena noticed right away that Heero was around more often, and so was her brother. She had to juggle her growing fondness of having both of them close and wanting to fight her sense of being pulled away. The option wasn't strong in her mind, fighting. In fact, she was barely struggling with attachment save for Heero. Even her desire to have her brother around was waning; Relena feared Heero was next. The lingering darkness in her heart began to overcome her hope.

Duo had disappeared. Having more than two Gundam pilots was suspicious, and usually followed by disturbing news reports. Trowa had disappeared as well, and it was surprising to see Wufei making his rounds more often. He never said anything to her, but he was present outside her door almost consistently. Wufei was quiet but abiding. He never changed his schedule, or hers, and though he didn't speak out of turn when she spoke, she was not the most favorable person in his opinions of state. He watched her as a command or favor to Heero, Relena wasn't sure. But Wufei was not her friend.

There wasn't an obvious change to her personality that the public could see. Only someone close could've noticed her change, and she was making a point to distance herself. She knew Heero noticed it, knew he saw the signs. Whether or not he'd choose to aide her in healing her was another thing. The change was small, but infinite. She chose not to talk about it after a while, and tapered off from the counselor. It didn't matter to her, because her choice to do this was well-planned. She moved so carefully, made her words so convincing and subtle, that part of her was actually okay.

So when Heero kissed her temple and said he'd be back in a few days, she swallowed hard and nodded. “Wufei and Quatre will be here. Business. Protection.”

“I trust you.”

“They'll be able to keep you safe.” Safe. That word had new meaning this month. It used to mean wherever Heero deemed safe. He had been at her side for years now, making her life less dangerous by being the more dangerous one. Now it felt like he was the only safe person she knew, the only place she could be secure.

Heero balanced on his elbow to hover over her. His thumb caressed her cheek and her hand rested on his.

And he was leaving. They stared at one another for a long minute, blues clashing. Her eyes pleaded for him to stay, an array of emotions crossing from desperation to something that could only be described as a touch of vengeance. Then he saw complete resolution, and trust dominated.

Relena was lying. The was the change. Heero knew it.

He said nothing.

But he leaned in to kiss her. She leaned into him, as much as her stitches would allow, and parted her lips. His tongue delved in to mingle with hers, and her breathing increased. The pounding in her heart. Blood pumping in her ears. Heero parted from her slowly, reluctantly. His sigh was audible to only her, and she clenched her hands in his shirt, wanting him to stay and go and be everything for her. He'd been everything to her for so long, been by her side when she needed him most, that she couldn't imagine life without him. Petty crushes as she had in her youth paled in comparison to the connection she held with him.

“I'll be back in two days.” She kissed him on the lips once, twice, eyes glued to his.

“You'd better.” He paused and she saw that resolute look she'd seen a few times a year. Her hands released his shirt. The last time she did, it was the first time he told her she was moving. She'd fought to make peace with the connections Lady Une made on a regular basis, but this last year took the cake. Heero looked at her like she was going to change her mind on a whim, as though a part of her was pushed past the point of consequences. She'd started to transform.

“You haven't asked.” His accusation didn't leave her confused. She'd expected it just as he expected her to question his methods of execution.

“I don't intend to ask.” Eyebrows furrowed, Relena saw the confusion in his eyes. She didn't have a question ready, didn't have a plan. Relena Darlian was beginning a dangerous game. He just hadn't made the connection until today. “You have to leave soon, I can tell. Do whatever it is you're going to do and come back.” She kissed him again on the lips and he sat up.

“We'll talk.” Relena shifted on the bed and the weight of his stare made her roll her hips some.

“I hope we can do more than talk when you get back.” Heero smirked, something she'd only seen a Gundam Pilot do, really; and he removed himself from the bed. She watched him open the door and stare at her, fire igniting in her eyes and lower regions.

Forty-eight hours.


	8. Chapter 8

After Heero left, Relena stayed in bed no longer. It was time for exercises. She'd been training herself to work around the stitches as the practices required, to ignore the pain a little at a time, and fighting to regain her emotional state to which the members of the ESUN had become so accustomed. It was an improvement to not need the heating pad to loosen the strain, but the stretches had gotten more intense. Heero had powered her through it at first, with the most gentle of assurances, and then they ramped up to the more energetic and vigorous exercises.

It was for herself that she did her exercises, and it was for her colleagues who trusted her that she worked on hiding most of the feelings growing in the back of her mind. Heero had made it clear that she needed to sort out those two processes, to avoid confusion in the field. He'd noticed the change in her, and hadn't said anything. Whether he agreed with this new mindset she wasn't sure, but she was tired of wondering. If he said something she'd face it then.

The Oblique pose was a little easier, she did several minutes of those, and she'd had some trouble with Downward Facing Dog. Heero insisted on several minutes extra for those two stretches at the beginning of the week. Naturally she complied, and when he was working on her posture during the last session, she could feel his gaze wander a few times, as well as his hands. He was trying not to draw attention to his actions, but they spoke volumes. So she threw him a loop once in a while with her hips, causing him to touch her. He resorted to standing next to her and repositioning her spine on several occasions, chiding her every once in a while to hold her stance.

It was cute. She made sure he had something to look back on when he left. He was never gone for long, a month or two at most when he absolutely had to, and once Commander Une had moved her last, he picked up the slack for the previous failed attempts at her life. Since then, there had been no threats. So he remained on, leaving only when necessary.

They couldn't do this forever, though. She wouldn't be able to do this, as it was only a matter of time before the unthinkable happened, or she became wreckless. Or she became too old to remember what it was like to want a family. By no means did she think Heero was incapable of protecting her. It was chance he didn't get to her in time when she was attacked. God, these exercises were less fun without Heero, she thought.

Life was fragile, and she wanted to have a baby now that she'd been so close. What kind of life could she possibly give to a child that wouldn't reflect that which her father had given her? Relena shook her head, trying to dismiss the thoughts pooling into her memory. She went through a terrible phase of being set aside for her father's good work, and it got him killed. It was that reason she didn't push to have children, or talk about it so soon. If she wanted a child, she'd have to work for it; and she'd make sure Heero had the choice. She didn't want to force him into a situation that made him uncomfortable.

So yeah, lying down was the last thing she wanted, thought if Heero were here and she was at her best, the thought of lying down wasn't sounding so bad.

Relena put herself into Downward Facing Dog again, counting to ten. If Heero had a plan, she had to be ready to help out in any way possible, even if it meant covering up the tracks. He was up to something big, and had taken pains to hide any agenda of retaliation from the public. The Preventers seemed ignorant of the evidence, so whatever he was planning had to be contained within a smaller unit of operatives.

Noin came in as she finished up. Relena had spent a good ten minutes thinking too hard, and had been rewarded with a friend's visit. Though her friend looked ready for vigorous travel instead of a neighborhood visit. Standing upright, she put a polite smile on and hugged her sister-in-law. “Heero gone?”

“Yes. You're moving me.” Noin nodded and put the bag down on her bed. “Who was watching the door?”

“I was.”

“And now?”

“Wufei. I knew you'd be doing exercises. You're very predictable at times.”

“A clean and sturdy regiment makes the world a little easier to face. Where am I going?” She reached for the bag and found a pair of jeans, a loose top, and her favorite slip-ons. This was going to be a long trip, she could tell.

“You'll see.” Relena didn't ask again. Arguing with Preventers was in the past, at least for now. When she made no move to argue, Noin sighed. “What's bugging you?”

“Right now?”

“Why haven't you fought with Commander Une's orders?”

“I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm sure this isn't the place to hold such a conversation.” The younger woman pulled the change of clothes out of the bag and removed her resting clothes.

“Yes, Miss Relena.” This hospital was kind enough to provide sweats and a loose shirt to make her recovery a little less embarrassing, a fact that bothered her at one point but no longer. She was grateful after two weeks. She accepted help for the undergarments, but lightly insisted that she be allowed to try to put on the shirt. Noin watched her reach forward and pull the material up and over with some difficulty. It was weird, having the ability to sling clothes on at any given moment taken away for a long period of time. She pressed on, thankful for the exercises she'd been doing. The stitches had come out early in the week, but the doctor noticed her inability to move some still, wondering if she was having more than just physical pain. Relena wanted to say she didn't feel the pain, but knew he had valid reason for suspecting a psychosomatic reaction.

She'd have to work on that. That was yesterday; and since a week and a half had passed, having never been in a situation where her physical body had become endangered, Relena knew she had to figure out her mindset. She'd spent enough time staring at hospital walls and signing forms. If there was a mental barrier between her and the future, she'd bust down the wall in some way, and there would be retribution to those who stood in her way.

Which really seemed to be no one right now. They were treating her like a porcelain doll. Well, everyone but Heero. He didn't say it outright but he was always tender with her. But he didn't pity her.

Once dressed, Relena gathered her things and waited for the move order. “Are Agent Chang and Mister Raberba Winner still on the premises?”

“Wufei is, Quatre is holding a conference down the street.” Noin took a moment to pull Relena's hair back, and handed her a Preventers hat.

“A cover. Will I be speaking?” Relena pulled the hat onto her head and weaved the ponytail through the back of the sports cap.

“He is a distraction at this point, and not speaking as a representative.”

“That will work.” She slipped into the worn shoes, and began to prepare herself for any questions that might arise on her leave. Quatre might be able to take center stage for a move by the Preventers, but Relena Darlian leaving out the back of a hospital was headliner material.

“Ready?” She nodded and Noin opened the door for her. Wufei was standing beside the door and regarded her with a look. Relena wondered if Heero put him up to this, or if he was taking his duties as a Preventer to a new level. Any one of the pilots could be in on whatever plan Heero had cooked up. Or all of them. Relena only knew Heero was up to something. The rest of them were blissfully able of hiding things from her, which struck her as funny.

Wufei nodded to her and then to Noin, no words necessary. If Heero was a man of few words, Wufei was a man who needed no words. The Chinese man took point and lead them down the hall towards the elevator. Relena hadn't worked a lot on stairs, though she was comfortable so long as she didn't have to rush. The lift would be easier to work with in this case. She was thankful for the change of speed. Pacing around a room only appeased her ability to walk in a straight line.

Relena sometimes worried about a growing need for adrenaline-based activities due to her constant moving and threat of danger, and wondered if it was natural in this phase of recovery or if it was hiding some underlying need to be in the center of attention. Since she'd been happy having time off before, she concluded that maybe she just needed time out in the open. Wufei's eye caught hers at turns, though he didn't need to make eye contact with her to see her she was sure. The elevator ride down was smooth, and he made sure they didn't move faster than she could handle.

They exited out the basement lot and there was a car waiting outside the door. Wufei opened the door for her and shut the door after Noin had gotten in. Relena strapped herself in, with minimal discomfort. Wufei took front passenger next to Sally, keeping half an ear on any noises she made trying to reach for the clasp. Sally had proved herself capable in the field behind a wheel. If anything happened, and it put her colleagues in danger, could she live with the knowledge that she was the catalyst?

Noin handed her a pair of sunglasses and Relena adorned them with no argument as the car rolled out of the parking lot and away from the general direction of any crowd that might have formed. Very few of the hospital staff knew of their departure, or would know once word got around. Relena made a note to send them a basket of sweets to thank them for their hard work and kindness.

The emptiness seemed to be creeping in more often, and a part of her agreed with Heero so long ago. She wasn't like anyone else. She would never be like the people she sheltered with a shroud of peace. These people, Noin, Sally, Wufei, understood she was the overseeing factor in this new world. No one else could do it at this point in time, peace being such a fragile thing. People needed to choose to stand up for their right to peace. The world had gotten a little franctic in the past half month. This seemed a dark truth she'd been running from, the notion that she was indispensable. A soldier fought to keep her alive at the risk of his own freedom and peace.

Heero never pushed the subject to be honest, and she was aware of the risks; she never let him drag that thought into the mud as they were equal in spirit. She knew they wanted her alive to keep the worlds spinning. Who knows how long it would last? Recent events made her open her eyes, and she'd mourned this sudden loss of innocence.

Heero was waiting for her to talk about the baby. She avoided that topic as well. Even the therapist had received minimal information. Yes, she had been with child. Yes, she knew who the father was. No, she was not going to disclose that information. No, she wasn't traumatized or feeling particularly vengeful. . . 

Vengeful. That word was food for thought. Relena wasn't sure if she was vengeful, but one nasty little thought seeped into her consciousness. If she wasn't vengeful, and things were okay, why was Heero free to make conspiring plans with secret operatives in her name? “Where are we going, Noin?”

“Shuttle to L1, then Earth.”

“And Commander Une?”

“She wants you in a safe house. And she wants information.”

“Information?” Relena noted Noin's hands resting on her lap, face stone. Perhaps keeping secrets wasn't something the young woman was prone to, but though she was a politician and kept some facts underwraps, Relena was an open book. Maybe a few months ago she'd changed a little, but losing a baby might've damaged her perspective. Relena was constantly on the lookout for changes in her disposition. Anything out of the ordinary was something she had to be wary of, having been in the spotlight for as long as she could remember.

Maybe she hadn't been completely transparent if Une was requiring information. “Yes, the Commander is wanting to speak with you about Heero.” The hairs stood up on the back of her neck. The less she knew the better, which was what Heero had intended.

“I'm happy to answer any questions Commander Une would ask of me, if they're questions I am able to answer.”

“I'm glad to hear that. The Commander wishes to have a teleconference with you on the way to L1.”

“I see no conflict of interest that would prevent me from helping her. We'll talk right away if that is fits into her schedule.” And Relena said nothing else. Noin wasn't really happy with her, as far as she could tell, having kept a secret from her as vital as her surprise pregnancy. Truth be told, Relena hadn't been sure until that week, and telling her sister-in-law was the same as telling Milliardo. She hadn't been able to figure out a way to tell her brother, or Heero. She couldn't even bring herself to set up a doctor's appointment out of fear. The ESUN probably would put her under intense scrutiny due to her not being wed before getting 'knocked up.'

How much the public knew of her secret life impressed her. They had vital statistics of which she hadn't even been aware, though Heero did an admirable job keeping some of the bikini photos within decent exposure. Columns about her bra size and her waistline were aplenty, setting a strange allure to the political image. Politics were neither alluring nor sexy. Relena didn't wake up one morning as say she was going to take on Peacecraft responsiblity. It took weeks and then some to convince herself she was properly in the light, thanks to the Romafeller Foundation's efforts.

Relena was able to tell the good Commander that she really didn't know what Heero was up to, that she didn't ask him about anything, and there was no suspicious behavior which she'd detected. It wasn't a complete lie. Her internal ethics committee would have to decide whether she was in the right later, as she kind of wondered what Heero was going to be doing. The man was insanely clever with his hands.

Let Commander Une ask her questions.


	9. Chapter 9

Duo crept up the hallway, a near swagger to his stride. The darkness in the yard was pierced by a single beacon thirty feet away, barely lighting the path ten feet to his right. This was the most obscure entry according to his notes; the god of death was on-schedule. He broke into a gait once he was sure the guards had changed. They weren't very organized, but Duo had experienced many splinter groups since he'd started training so many years ago. None of them bothered him until now.

His apprehension wasn't due to the nature of the group, but the nature of the crime. Sure, all splinter groups were able to kill and cause absolute temporary chaos. Nobody talked about it, but Relena being attacked was just part of the cake. The press was in lockdown around Relena at all times. She deferred to Commander Une's judgment, and only spoke to the press when it was necessary. There were motives, and it was up to Relena to help uncover them. In order for that happen, she needed to talk. For some reason, she wouldn't open up to anyone. Heero was the only confidant she'd really trust.

And Heero was not going to hold her hand. Any progress she would make would be of her own volition. Everyone who knew her knew her style of improvement had an idea of how hers would play out.

Of course, it was only a matter of time, before the syndicate was taken down. Either by the Preventers or by another splinter group that didn't like the competition, all the small-time baddies eventually wore down and disappeared. Duo held onto that thought as he thought about Relena on the hospital bed that first night when Sally stitched her up.

Relena had looked so gaunt that night, and she was lucky to be alive. Death hadn't wanted her that badly, apparently. It was never safe to assume that Death was on their side. He was True Neutral if anything, but he liked to believe He was among their ranks, Chaotic Good if you will. Duo wasn't sure if there was a godlike figurehead but there was definitely a god of judgment. He was one hundred-sixty-three centimeters tall and fought for the Colonies. He had friends who cared about him, a girlfriend who liked him enough to keep him around, and a cause to fight for.

All in all, he found himself very lucky. A fraction of his profits went to veterans and clean-up efforts, especially since business was still good and there was no shortage of either.

And then there was the occasional side job the one that gave him pleasure to take, the one where he got to do the real footwork. Jumping fences, knocking out guards, hacking into systems, he was always happy to help with the grunt work. To take on a mission from Heero meant he did work for free, and it was insane to take on any side mission that Heero would offer, but if he didn't do it, then who would? Fork out the justice and let the demons run.

So when Duo slinked into the small control room of the facility on the edge of a L4 Colony, he had no remorse or second guesses about his purpose. There were two men at the screens, not really doing their jobs. Hurt, maim, don't kill. Bring one back for questioning if possible. Duo smiled because he could do one better. He aimed to please. Soundlessly and without flaw, he made his way through the shadows and peered over their shoulders. Not a Gundam Pilot in sight from what he could see on the monitors, but Heero was supposed to be on the third screen from the right. It was a corner camera, and the guys were busy working on puzzles and laughing about some woman they'd met.

He removed a baton from the back of his belt, a comfort so smoothe and silent even he was impressed with the manufacturer. Duo thought a 'thank you for making stealthy weapons' card would be appreciated, as he raised it high and slammed it down on one guard's head. The other jumped and shouted, looking over to his colleague, then up to see the one who struck first. Duo stiffened his arm and swung it over, impacting the other guard square in the face. Then he put him down temporarily so he could get on with his mission.

He turned and sealed the door he'd snuck into, glad he left it open before his attack due to a few squeaks in the hinges. “Alone at last.” He secured the captives and pushed them into separate corners, then took a seat and began to work the system.

Duo engaged one of the cameras and morse-coded the all clear a few times with the light. He was never more astounded than he was when he manipulated technology. “Ahh, what a Time to be alive.” He disengaged several locks in the facility so that Heero's path would be open but no one could leave individual rooms. Heero could handle stragglers inside the hallways. So far there were few men wandering the halls. “Come out, come out, wherever you are, Heero.”

He searched the screens for Heero and Trowa, still sending out the signal, and he gave it another minute. In the corner of his eye there was movement. Trowa was in a strange uniform, first time Duo had seen him in a week. Trowa's last words to him were on the same path as Heero's before he'd departed for Phase 1: “If your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground to go to.” They worked really fast for this mission, and only having a week to prep seemed less than proper for decent villains.

He was always choosy about what he did as a favor for an old pal in the Colony-endorsed-guerilla-force. Heero wouldn't have asked if he could do everything on his own. He relied on the specific skillset of the two men he'd recruited.

And there was Trowa, shadowing a guard in Sector Delta. He took the man by surprise with a well-placed kick to the head, and when he went down relieved him of his communicator and gun. Duo was still working on the codes for the doors, having less than his own personal best for time. But he opened a way for Trowa to make his way to the section leaders' quarters. If they were going to find the ringleader and put him in lockdown for the rest of his natural life, they were going to have to make it so only Heero's people could find him. The best way to do that was to lock the doors to everyone but Heero and Trowa.

So far, he'd shut down several sectors that weren't active, just to keep them in the silence. Let them sleep. The rest were up to him. If no one was near a door, Duo locked it and they still had technology that clicked as they closed. How unprofessional.

Duo plugged in his access port and started working the system. All he needed was a backup of all their files and he'd be clear. It'd take a couple of minutes, but thankfully he was also busy uploading a program that would slow their computers down a bit while Heero and Trowa did their jobs.

Heero was slinking down Sector Beta, gun at the ready. He was looking for the other section leader. They were in the same area, but had two entrances and secret exits. His plan was to infiltrate the escape route and steal away a hostage. Their goal was two, maybe three, men who would likely talk, and one had to be high-ranking. At this point, it could have been a game to see who could come in first with the best hostage.

It really was stupid, wanting to detain the leaders when the most effective thing to do was escort them to death. Why give them a chance to do it again, the inner argument proposed. Duo always reasoned that if he'd not gotten his chance to redeem himself, he'd be best off dying as well. Give them the same chance he got, with more restrictions. Because as a Gundam Pilot, he was given some major leniency in the face of the ESUN.

Plus, Heero had said there were some Colonies with the death penalty still, so try not to get deported for his efforts. This was a clean case of information gathering and taking down a few head men to make sure it never happened again. However well-intended, there would always be a splinter group wanting to recruit soldiers for a price. One thing the wars had done was make money even more valuable.

So Duo was in the game and he wasn't playing for keeps. Not that he was objecting and wanting to shoot someone to death; he just thought there were better ways to handle this. Since Heero was in charge and he walked in, Heero was in charge until the mission was complete. His part in this mission was almost accomplished. The only thing left was to secure a hostage. These two lugheads might do, but if Trowa could nab a higher official, they'd be better off. The two were also not coming off as strong candidates either, especially since one was presently drooling, having fallen asleep on the floor after being temporarily knocked out.

Duo checked his exits. The door, vents, lower tunnels beneath the metal panels, all were clear to him. Heero and Trowa would meet out by the Southern exit of the base, and then Trowa would stick around to gather some information while Heero would rendezvous with his information to Zechs.

The Marquis was working hard to distract Relena, which meant to say he was keeping his distance. Duo didn't say anything about her being a little less like Relena, more aloof. More dangerous. Relena letting them do their business without so much as a peep was suspicious, even more so than her sudden ability to overlook her potential arguments with the head of Preventers, Commander Une. If anything, the Vice Foreign Minister was stepping back from the spotlight, and Duo wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

But he could think about that after they got the leader of this group. It was originally said the syndicate was non-politically motivated; Duo called bullshit on that one, due to the fact they attacked the one political figurehead who could lose so much by dying. Believe it or not, the position of Vice Foreign Minister was not a highly sought office. If anything, Relena was performing a public service.

But, he reminded himself gently, he could think about all that after they caught the leader of the group. Heero was slinking into a hallway and Duo gave him access to the door at the end. Trowa was about 50 yards in the other direction, slipping into the next entrance without a sound. He was on point. They had only a few more moments before the base went into enforcement mode.

Heero had disappeared, as per schedule, and Duo almost bit his lip. The blackout room was his mission, because that was where the base leader, still an underling, was sleeping. Trowa was gathering any information and officer count, and Duo was backing up the system with his access port. This was pretty easy, but if the enemy caught on, they'd move the leader completely if they had a lick of sense. Because Gundam Pilots were tracking him, and they would find him.

Then they'd make him sorry he messed with the world they worked so hard to fix. If he died, they risked him becoming an idiot martyr. They did not want a huge scene. If they could manage to change the man's mind that'd be better than putting him on trial. Nothing worse than having a violent leader in the general populace of criminals as he would be in a prison. Solitary confinement would be his curse.

Duo could almost live with that. His port beeped and he removed the device, pocketing it. His job was done. He looked down at his prisoners again, taking stock and getting ready to drag one of the men out. One of the men might have seen him, so that was his hostage. The other was out, still drooling over his uniform. Duo imagined they'd make some extravagant claim in the morning about how he was overcome by no less than two fully grown men instead of a teenager with a non-lethal weapon. Maybe he'll listen to the coms to see if they shared battle stories, but not with the poor sap he was taking with them.

It was true they wouldn't kill anyone, but there was a long list of things they could do before that ultimate point. Duo pulled out a handful of bandannas to secure the man's hands and feet, then gagged and bagged him. There was a wager to see who'd get the most valuable hostage, and Duo was playing the security cam angle. Heero would likely win, unless Duo took the drooler as well. Either way, they needed to send Heero back to his original post as soon as they left this base. They might've had Relena's blind-eye for the moment, but in her state it wasn't likely to stay that way for long. Once she snaps out of it she'd be back to making the world a better place.

If she snapped out of it.

Duo shook his head and pulled the drooling man over to the floor panel, storing him underground. He didn't necessarily have to do it, he reasoned as he pulled the paneling over to close him in, but Duo found it funny. Then he hoisted the bound and blinded man over his shoulder, locking the system up on his way out. A quiet laugh later and he was shutting the security door behind him. He couldn't wait to see what they could get from these losers. “Hope you enjoyed your fling with fame, buddies, because it's over now.”

Duo got on his watch com and buzzed Heero. “Hey, Buddy, take route 4 on our plan, meet up at point Omega in ten. Other buddy, route 2 to rendezvous and then Omega.”

“Copy,” said Trowa.

“Copy.” Heero's voice was steady and normal in tone. He wasn't worried in the least about the situation. That meant they were on task and on schedule. Duo adjusted the man's weight a little and ventured on. He followed the third route for the sake of consistency, keeping his gun at the ready since not all of the soldiers were locked in their quarters. It was due to sheer luck that neither Heero nor Trowa had come up against the enemy. Duo had timed everything quite nicely; his luck was amazing. And Duo hesitated at a cross section. He turned, hostage in hand, until he watched Trowa run up to him, weapon at the ready. They took off at a jog and made good time to the exit. “No time to take a hostage, eh?” Trowa said nothing.

“I got the intel we need. You?”

“All according to plan.” Once they got their enemies in a row where they belonged, they would plan on taking the least complicated route to obtaining their target information. Without torture, that was the most positive objective they could hope to bring to their table. Zechs was looking forward to this part of the mission, having been on internal duty until they gave him something to do. Relena hadn't made any notion that she disapproved of their methods, which was something to consider sooner than later. Being around her was a bit of a trial to find out if she was mentally stable. Her psychologist hadn't made any leeway so far, having been stone-walled by a politician.

Relena was going to have a long ordeal with this trauma. If anything, the psychologist was uncovering her lies. Heero must've seen it first, due to how long they'd been side-by-side.

They wove through the halls, walking by some of the locked corridors with several loud bangs ringing out. With a smirk, he hauled the man along and adjusted the weight as he turned some of the corners. The back door was wide open, though. He thought that'd be the worst idea, to lock the outer doors to guards. If they heard the racket the locks caused the mission would've been bunk. He made it outside, finally, the fresh air hitting his face.

The two ran along the wall of the building and then to the edge of the perimeter fence. Heero was waiting on the other side already, having exited through the entrance he'd cut. Trowa was two meters behind, and they slowed. Without another word, they exited and headed out.

“Heero,” Duo said. It didn't take much time to reach a safe point. Heero was willing to talk once they accomplished their current mission. The Wing pilot turned to see him, and Duo reached into his pocket. He handed over the drive and frowned. This was Heero's second half. The Preventers wouldn't touch this information if they could help it. Any politically aligned ties to Relena would reflect back on her. This operation Had to look legitimate. “You need to check in. She'll be expecting you.”

“There's time.” He was not hurrying by any means. It meant he was calculating his time. They were running low on travel time, what with a grace period usually within 24 hours of the due date. That was unless Relena was rounding to the nearest hour, but that didn't seem likely. These cronies needed to be dealt with in any case. Heero could handle Relena duty while the rest of them took care of the heavy lifting. They all had their parts to play. Some of them had adjusted and adapted to a new way of living, as Heero had when he became Relena's bodyguard, and as Milliardo and Wufei had when they'd stopped fighting wars and started preventing them.

Trowa led them down a path and turned into an alley. There was a rusty van hiding out and they deposited their cronies and jumped in. Duo took the wheel and Heero took shotgun. They sped off and Duo handed the bodyguard his phone, “Call her.”

“There's time.”

“Call her, man.” Heero stared at the phone and sighed, grabbing it with a cold look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [not my favorite chapter; i have two other chapters in the works thankfully]


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the Night in Question

Relena was quiet tonight. The elevator was quiet. Heero was. . . You get the picture. Her outfit was uncomfortable, her skin was near crawling, and it was a terribly warm day in the L3 colony. It was a rough, albeit rare, weekend of meetings and she was leaving in eight hours. Usually her meetings were during the week, but this last week hadn't ended until near eight nights later. She undid her cuff links but kept them attached to her sleeves.

The pins went next, and she removed them one by one with her eyes closed for concentration. There were close to sixteen to fish out and her memory wasn't really at its' peak when sleep- and relief-deprived. She managed to find six right away, and Heero's hand had appeared in front of her, offering to hold her bobby-pins. A small but frustrated smile crossed her face as she took advantage of the assistance.

All she wanted was a hot shower, her pajamas, and six hours of sleep. With a sidelong glance to her bodyguard in the crisp suit and damnably touchable hair, she decided she'd trade six hours for four if he made the first move. She'd fished out few more and Heero began to look amused. He'd been able to take the pins out in less time with minimal effort, even with barely knowing how many and where they were placed.

Oh how she wanted his hands in her hair. Part of her wanted to trade responsibilities, but part of her didn't want to lose any sleep. Relena wasn't sure she needed sleep tonight if she was traveling tomorrow anyways.

And he was standing next to her in a manner which made her very fluttery.

Two more came out. She was mindful of where her elbows went, and the suit she wore made her movements harder to accomplish her goal. There were supposed to be four more, but they were hiding, and there wasn't a reflective surface in the elevator to check. She was tired enough to voluntarily lose count. Piercing her lips out of frustration, she let out a sigh and dropped her shoulders. Looking over to Heero, her eyes met his and he lowered his hand with the pins. Dropping her facade was time-consuming and exhausting, and she was sure this elevator was the slowest elevator in the ESUN. Seriously, who needed an elevator that went slower than one would walk going up the stairs? This whole building was unreliably tall.

The elevator was at level four of twenty. She wasn't even sure they needed a building this tall.

“Heero can you find the last four, please?”

“Sure.” The pins slipped into her pocket, Heero placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her away from him. His fingers spread into her scalp, feeling for the last four.

On her list of needs and wants, she wanted twenty minutes alone without camera and audio surveillance. She was warm in more ways than one. Relena tried to think of policies and lobbyists and the media, but the man standing next to her within dermal warmth radius was distracting her. It was a busy day and unwinding took precedence.

Heero wasn't one to leave her alone, especially when he hadn't checked her room yet. The too large room was ornate, but she still felt the walls closing in on her. The constant moving around, the threat of being attacked almost a daily occurrence, and her workload never seemed to diminish. Her mind was racing. There'd be no sleep tonight.

Because, geez, his fingers were amazing.

At least Heero was able to refrain from sleeping for extended periods of time so even if she couldn't sleep, at least she'd have company. Honestly, that was the most innocent backpedaling for a train of thought she could muster. “Tired?” Relena only nodded, her head falling back slowly. Once upon a time, Heero wouldn't've asked. More often than not, he'd give a grunt of confirmation or denial. Since the strings of moves she'd gone through, the mild innuendo on occasion, they'd been getting more talkative. “You'll have time to sleep on the shuttle.” She nodded noncommittally, his fingers following her movements; she didn't hear him through the haze of his proximity. They both acknowledged the hints of cliche that was the romance between bodyguard and charge, no matter how small. A few chuckles and smiles later, they were attached. She noticed, a few others noticed, and most importantly some of his liaisons noticed when he opened up to her.

On occasion he'd tell her ahead of time when something was planning on being thwarted, for lack of a better term. That was shop talk, which was fine, but she played caretaker to the rest of the ESUN and already worried about the health and risk imposed on the rest of the Earth and Colonies. Most of Une's plans revolved around the Vice Foreign Minister's protective circle. She'd be informed eventually of the situation but to find out about it ahead of time, even in passing, was something she used to appreciate.

Once Heero found out it was a burden to her, he stopped. She couldn't focus on her work when he told her Une was planning on moving her the first time and mentioned it might be one of a few. If she learned about a move, she would immediately want to stop it in any way possible, which meant she risked getting Heero into trouble. She didn't want him to stop trusting her. That meant she had to be okay with not knowing. At times it kept her up at night, and more than once it cost her a deal of emotional taxation.

So Heero was present at this conference. He was present at every event she attended now, at Commander Une's request. He was the most capable bodyguard she'd ever had the honor of knowing. The shadow to her symbol, Heero never hesitated when she was threatened. 

Fiercely protective of her before, Heero was even more adamant of her detail now that they were speaking to each other. It was amazing how many small options and decisions she had over once Heero trusted her with information. Turns out, they had similar interests as far as her safety was concerned. That trust they had for each other was paramount, and defined their attraction further.

She nodded again, the near exhaustion causing her shoulders to slump. Rolling her shoulders, she straightened her back once more and stretched her feet one at a time. Her sciatic nerve was giving her trouble today, after having moved around enough on the colony that they were familiar with most of the workings. She'd had tours of most of the structural and imperative buildings of the area, and had made note of the more needed improvements by taking a side route on purpose to see their less prosperous neighborhoods.

She was warm, oh so warm.

Heero's hands left her hair, and her tresses were straightened out as though she'd never been touched or altered her appearance. His hands could sculpt masterpieces. Relena couldn't count how often people gave them side glances and then wondered if she was untouchable or if they were just very good at hiding whatever relationship they'd developed. The press would have a field day if she acted on her impulses, which entertained her in some parts of the boring meetings. She didn't allow a high amount of mental leniency as far as those days came around, but oh how wonderful they were when she let herself relax.

Every representative had an opinion of what should happen despite her observances, which meant each representative was like a small child, shouting their opinions to the wind. She had written their names down, those who were open to working with new policies and those who'd been less excited about changes which would help the less fortunate neighborhoods. It'd be nice to not hear their shrill voices in her sleep as they had the last two restless nights. Heero had been watching over her, but he was on detail those nights. Now he was on personal assignment, which suited them both just fine. “Une wanted to go over two proposals in the morning en route, and the communication is at ten.”

“That should give you time to catch a few hours.” Relena sighed and finally--flipping Finally--the elevator opened and she let Heero step out ahead of her as he usually did, proceeding to clear her exit. There was another Preventer there and they nodded to each other. Relena stepped out when his shoulders fell an inch, his sign for the all-clear. The serious look on his face never really seemed to leave unless people had spent a lot of time with him. Time with him was most of her time, and there was no way she could even fathom sleep with as much tension as she'd been harboring for the last couple of days.

Did she even want to get into how much she enjoyed watching Heero walk around in a suit? She'd never say unless they took that next step, but damn that man grew even more into his handsome self once the war was over. Relena fell into step with him, his hand on her back, and she followed in suit. They were at the suite then, just a few doors down, and he pulled the room key from his pocket. There was no instance where she needed access to her rooms without his accompaniment. It wasn't out of vanity or desperation for which she allowed him access to every part of her life, but out of respect. He required total cooperation and trust in his work.

Work, that was a funny word for them. Yes, there were days when one or both of them were tired of the doublespeak; she recalled on more than one occasion where he'd make a funny face during one of her sit-downs because of something someone said. By funny face, she meant menacing glare. She'd been scrutinized by politicians several times by the company she kept, and their manners in the presence of high-ranking officials. Relena had bitten her cheek to keep from speaking of what she considered to be high-ranking official.

Heero unlocked and opened the door, beginning his sweep, starting with the bathroom to the left. She waited in the small foyer, hand on the lavatory door just in case Heero told her to move. It wasn't the first and it certainly wouldn't be the last time he told her to bolt into the bathroom and lock herself in until he neutralized a threat. He even had her using code words with him in case of danger; they found themselves eventually using them in social situations.

So if Relena tugged her ear, she knew Heero would come to her and whisper for her to step aside for an important phone call and excused her to the hallway for a breather. A clearing of her throat meant Heero needed to calm his cool exterior because he was scaring people who hadn't worked with or near him. The two of them were quite an intimidating team, the once Queen and the Perfect Soldier, so much so that meetings went a little more tense than usual.

Heero followed code words better than she. So if he wanted her to run away, he usually said, 'run,' loud enough for her to hear and follow. He didn't waste a lot of time with words.

“Coast is clear.” Her hand fell limp and secured the lock latch on the main door, and she stepped into the main room. Her hands went to her overcoat and began undoing the buttons, stripping off a layer slowly to reveal a second layer. The buttons got harder to manage, but the dress code of the noble and political [one wasn't synonymous to the other] was stringent. The layout of the large apartment-sized suite made her uncomfortable, so she made a point to put all of her effects in the same place. This place was as temporary as her home life. She was a mobile unit, excuse the pun.

She walked through the suite, paying no mind to Heero who was walking about in silence. If he was in the mood to speak or communicate with her he would make himself known. He'd sometimes fell onto the couch and waited for her to fall asleep. What she wanted she'd not been able to really have; it was her wish that he stayed closer. At this point they were friends, and they were not friends. They were more, but they were less. She didn't live for Heero Yuy; she lived for Heero Yuy. The man spent so much time protecting her that she owed him her life and her work.

And she'd be damned if she didn't rise to meet his expectations. She really wanted him in her bed, though. It sounded very sexist. It also sounded very desperate. Tonight was a good night, if any, because the signs were there. He touched her more, even kissed her hand today, and stayed closer than usual. All the words were there, hanging between them.

A light turned on to her right, the kitchenette. “Water?” His voice was sure, but she could hear the strained tone.

“Please.” Her voice cracked. Damn. Heero pulled two bottles from the mini-fridge as she turned into the bedroom. He followed her as she laid her overcoat over a chair and began working on the buttons of her vest, then sitting down on the bed. She took the offered water bottle and took a thirsty sip. It was refreshing after all the tea she'd consumed today [all ahead of time due to past indiscretions], drinking plain old non-monitored water.

Heero sat down next to her. That was new. Normally he set foot in the bedroom to check the closet for assailants, but something today must have made him comfortable on another level. She wanted this closeness, having been untouched for her entire life. The only man who ever stood a chance in such a place in her life was sitting next to her. 

Her heartbeat thudded in her chest. It was a steady thump of excitement. “I was wondering about the last proposal--”

“You think about work too much.” She laughed low and took another drink. The bottle went onto the bedside table and turned back to him.

“That's funny coming from you.” A smile, one saved for only close friends and possibly more, pulled at his lips. The humor was in his eyes, fading darker in the light.

“Hn, I suppose it is.” Relena leaned into his smile, and their lips touched. It wasn't their first kiss, but they were rare right now. Secret kisses and the rare rendezvous were more the norm for them. Seeing as they were finally alone and safe, Relena wasn't going to waste an opportunity to spend time in the refuge of Heero's embrace. This was the right time. She backed up further on the bed and smiled wide when a predatory look hinted in his eyes. Heero followed her.

They'd worry about sleep later.

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to see this beta'd in the future. Thank you so much for reading.


End file.
